The Art of Stealing Cars
by Kara Tezla
Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing? What does Tezla have to do with all of this?
1. Disappearing Cars and Candy

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: I have had this story in a notebook for a while... but, thanks to Wings of Speed, I got a working account, and now ya'll can read my story! And, if any of you have read Wings of Speed's "The Truth That Lies Behind the Lies", you may reconize Kara. This story is mainly about her. Hope you like!**

Chapter One: Disappearing Cars and Candy

"Have any of you guys seen Tork's car?" Asked Monkey, opening the door to the hotel room that Kurt and Nolo were staying in.

"No," Said Nolo, his eyes never coming away from the television.

"Ditto," Agreed Kurt, his head turning to look Monkey in the eyes. "Why? Is it gone?"

"Yup. All the Maniacs are looking,"

"Hey, I told you guys to put them in the garage."

"But that costs money,"

"Well, it's gonna cost a little to keep your car safe from gangs."

"Right. But Tork had a really expensive locking thingie just installed, so he wouldn't have to put it in the garages. He sounded pretty confident that nobody could break in."

Kurt chuckled. "You guys don't get it. Around here, the car thieves go to pretty extreme lengths to steal cars. Some gangs even take cars apart just to keep the alarm from going off."

Monkey's eyes got wide. "Oh no,"

"What?"

"My car is out there too!"

"Then you better go put it in a garage, Monkey!" Said Kurt, grinning as Monkey's head disappeared and the door shut behind it.

"Kurt?" Asked Nolo.

"Yeah?" Answered Kurt, turning back to the television.

"How'd he get our room key?"

A confused expression settled on Kurt's face. "That's a good question, Nolo."

--------------------

Monkey scrambled down the hallway to the elevator. He couldn't let them take apart his precious car! The elevator ride seemed to take forever as he went down to ground level, which was two stories down. During the ride down, he thought about what Kurt had said. _Would somebody actually take apart his car? That seems a waste of energy to me. But Kurt _has_ lived in Los Angeles before, so I think he would know, but do I trust him?_

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Monkey was off and running towards the back door that led to the small parking lot behind the hotel.

"Oh, please let it be there, please let it be there," Pleaded Monkey out loud before bursting through the door. There, in the middle of the parking lot, sat Rolling Thunder, in all its--dirty--glory. Monkey's relief was voiced aloud with a sigh.

"Hey, you alright?" Said a gruff voice behind him.

Monkey turned around and jumped at the sight of the large man in front of him. Pork Chop. "Oh, yeah, it's just that Kurt said that Tork's car was probably stolen because we didn't put it in a garage."

"But garages cost money!" Pork Chop complained.

"Ah! That's what I said!"

"Yeah. I don't need no stupid garage! Nobody's gonna steal my car!" Pork Chop said as he gripped the sledgehammer in his right hand. "And if they do, I'll just pound 'em!" He then let the hammer drop off his shoulder and swing towards the wall. It met with a loud _crunch_ and left a nice dent the size of a basketball in the wall.

Monkey jumped back, dodging the splinters of plaster that flew from the impact point. "I bet you would, Pork Chop. I bet you would."

--------------------

Shirako stared at Vert with growing interest. They sat on the beds that occupied the room that they shared. Shirako had his music off to hear the sound affects that came with Vert's daring feat.

"Ready?" Asked Vert, 2 small, red, candies sat in his palm.

Shirako nodded with a small smile.

Vert tipped his head back and dropped the candy in. He brushed his hands off and looked Shirako in the eyes. "Hey, these aren't too bad, Shirako. You should try some," Shirako _had_ tried an atomic fireball before, and he didn't want to do it again. Let's just say the results that came of sucking on the cinnamon candy had left his tastebuds fried. He couldn't taste anything for days. And that was only _one_ fireball. Vert had two.

Now Vert's face was turning red, his mouth was open a little. He started to reach for the glass of water that sat at on the nightstand.

"Don't, water only makes it worse," Shirako said, but he was too late. Vert had picked up the glass and was gulping down the contents, the fireballs pushed to the sides of his mouth. He put the glass down, sighing with relief, but it was short-lived. Once the candy had been moved back into the main part of Vert's mouth, his eyes went huge.

"HOT!" He screamed. "HOT! OH MY GOSH, THAT'S SO HOT!" He started to fan his mouth, but got no satisfaction from it. Shirako couldn't hold back the laughter that was building inside of him. He burst out laughing as Vert jumped off the bed and danced around the room.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. Shirako, still laughing, got up and walked to the door. Signaling to Vert to knock it off, he opened the door.

There stood Karma; her arms were crossed and an angry look on her face. The icy glare cut Shirako's laughing short.

"Where the heck is my car?" She said angrilly. "Do you guys know--" Karma stopped suddenly, gazing over Shirako's shoulder at Vert. "Vert? Are you okay?"

Shirako was afraid to look back, but he did anyway. There was Vert, lying on his bed, moaning about how hot his mouth was. "Uh, he's fine." Said Shirako, stepping in her line of vision. "You were saying?"

"No, really, what's wrong with him? He doesn't look so great." Commented Karma, moving Shirako out of the way.

Shirako sighed. It was no use fighting Karma, because she kept on fighting until she got what she wanted. "He ate two Atomic Fireballs at once," He stated, looking back.

Karma gave the Asian a surprised look. "That was stupid, did you try and stop him?"

"Yeah, but he didn't listen. He drank a _whole_ glass of water trying to cool his mouth off."

Another small groan came from Vert's limp body. Karma laughed. "I bet he'll never do that again!"

Shirako looked back at Karma. "What were you saying about your car?"

A dark look smothered the smile that had been on her face. "Somebody snatched both Nolo and I's cars right out of the garage!" She shouted.

"Wow. I'm surprised. Kurt said--"

"Yes! I know what Kurt said. I just can't wait to see the look on his face when his car disappears, too!" Karma's anger dropped a notch. "Well, if you find anything out, tell me. I am going to _kill _whoever put their hands on my car!"

Shirako nodded and shut the door. Vert was now sitting up, two round shapes in his cheeks indicated that the first layer of spicy cinnimon had passed. "You okay?" He asked Vert.

"Yeah, I'm glad that's over," He answered, falling back on the bed.

"Over?" Shirako questioned. "Oh, it's not over, yet. There's still another layer of hotness, Vert. I just think that you should spit them out while you still have tastebuds."

Vert's eyes widened again. "Really?"

"Yup."

"Nah," Vert said smiling. "I think I can take it,"

"Okay, it's your mouth you're ruining," Shirako said with a grin. He jumped on his bed, turning his music back on. Some things would never change.

**Okay. So there's the first chapter. Please Review if you liked, I wanna know what you guys think.**


	2. CHAOS!

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did**

**Summary: What happens now that all the cars are gone? What's everyone supposed to do when Nolo gets a strange call?**

**Author's Note:**

Chapter Two: CHAOS!

This isn't good," Commented Nolo, who was standing with Karma in the car garage.

"How?" Asked Karma. They were both staring at the spots were their cars once sat. Somebody had managed to get in the garage and take all the cars, without an obvious sound.

"I have no idea, but should we tell the others?"

Karma let out a loud sigh. "We'd better, 'cause if they find their cars gone and we were the last ones in here..."

"Right." Nolo said, starting back towards the entrance. Little did they know that the thieves were still in the building.

--------------------

Kara Tezla sat on the bed in the hotel room that she had rented. Supposedly, two racing teams were staying here, and one team had really fancy, expensive, cars. On her lap sat her laptop, the web cam was on.

"How long do I have?" She asked the camera.

"About two minutes at the most, I can't keep the block up for too long or it'll alert the police." Said Mark Anderson, his mouth not matching up with his words on the computer screen. Mark was one of the best technical geniuses in the car-stealing business. Kara grinned at her associate.

"Two minutes it is!" She looked around the room. "This is great; it's really a win-win situation."

"Yeah, cars or money! I love them both." Said Mark.

"And if we play our cards right..."

"We might _get _both!" Mark shouted.

"Shut up," Kara whispered, glaring playfully. "We don't want anyone to be suspicious."

"Right."

"Okay, I think it's time," Kara looked at the clock, which read 8:00pm on the dot. She grabbed the cell phone that sat beside her on the bed. Kara dialed the number for the hotel, and then put in the room number extension for the room that Nolo was staying in. "Is my voice disguised?" She asked the computer, her voice was barely picked up by the computer microphone.

"Yes," Mark answered, staring intently at the computer screen. He was recording every minute of it, so it better be perfect.

--------------------

The phone rang in Kurt and Nolo's room. Kara had made sure that the phone in their room was on the side that Nolo was while they were out, so he'd have to pick up the phone. After a couple of rings, the Mexican answered it.

"Um... hello?"

"Do you want your car back?" Kara's disguised voice answered, grinning. On the other end, all Nolo heard was deep, gravelly tones that took him by surprise.

"Excuse me?" Asked Nolo, wanting to verify what they had just said.

"Do you want your car back?" Kara repeated.

"What do you know about my car!" Nolo shouted, beckoning Kurt over.

"Enough to know that it's valuable; 500 horsepower, twin-turbo, rotary engine, with 35 series rubber carbon fiber racing brakes and 20 inch, WR2 series Y wheels. Not to mention a unique gold and blue paint job, which only makes the deal better."

Nolo listened as Kara rattled off a very good description of

Synkro. "Yeah, but how do I get my car?" He asked.

"Listen carefully. This time tomorrow, meet me at the Racer's Cafe, 487 Melrose Avenue. If you don't make it, expect a call to your hotel the next night at the same time. Got it, _Nolo_?" She enunciated his name, still grinning.

Nolo was busy scribbling down the address when he heard his name. "How do you know my--" He started, but was cut off by the click of the other phone hanging up. "...Name. And he's gone."

Kurt stared at the address that Nolo had just finished writing down. "Hey! I've been there; it's actually not too far from here."

Nolo nodded. "Cool,"

"One problem, though,"

"Yeah?"

"It's one of the most popular hangouts for all racers in LA."

"So?"

"That means that whoever this is, they know racing, _and_ they steal cars."

"Your point is...?" Nolo asked, his eyebrows arching into a questioning expression.

Kurt gave Nolo an _isn't-this-obvious?_ look. "It could be any of the racers or gang leaders in LA! And trust me, that's pretty close to a fifth of the population, at least! And if it's a gang leader, he could send any one of his flunkies to make the deal to conceal his identity."

A confused look crossed Nolo's face. "Right, whatever you say, Kurt. You're the expert on all things LA. But..."

"But what?"

"You were wrong about the whole 'car garage' thing."

"Yeah, so what? I was wrong about one thing."

Nolo just nodded. Things were confusing enough as it was.

--------------------

Kara hung up the phone and looked at Mark. "Everything is set up, are we ready?"

Mark glanced to the right. "It sure looks as if that's the case."

"Alrighty, then, I should get going, I'll be there in a bit." Kara could hear shouts in the background, probably another fight.

"Yeah... see ya." Mark waved and shut off the web cam.

Kara shut down the laptop and flung herself backwards onto the bed. There was the patter of running feet as somebody ran down the hallway. She was sure that it was that Nolo Passaro or the Grand Prix guy that he was rooming with, what was his name? She forgot, but there was the buzz of talking from the next room over.

Her eyes flew over the ceiling, eventually landing on the mini-fridge that sat in the corner. Glass cups sat on top. Glass cups. _Hmm... oh! _She rolled off the bed and grabbed one.

Pressing it to the wall adjacent to the room that the talking was in. _I wonder if this really works..._ she thought. Kara leaned up against the wall, her ear right next to bottom of the glass. The voices cleared up a bit; just enough to hear what they were saying.

"--is he?" Asked a female voice as soon as the buzz cleared away.

"I have no idea, but he's the one with our cars." Said the male, it was definitely Nolo.

"And you know this, how?"

"He gave a _very _detailed description of Synkro... things that you could only know by getting under the hood."

There was a moment of silence. "What about the rest of the Teku, huh?" Commented the female. "How do you know that it wasn't one of them?"

"Well, we'll just have to see, won't we?" Nolo finished, and then the sound of the door opening and closing. Kara pulled away from the glass, putting it back on the fridge.

"I think I should get going, now," She said to herself, grabbing the laptop and cell phone off the bed. Kara exited the room with a small smile... everything was going as planned.

--------------------

Nolo exited Karma's room and started walking down the hallway. Right after he walked by the room next to Karma's, a tall, slender girl came out. Her long, highlighted, dark-brown, hair fell down to the small of her back, complementing her hazel eyes. She had a gray and blue racing jacket on with matching pants to go with it. A black and silver laptop sat under her right arm, a smile crossing her face as her eyes met his.

Nolo practically tripped over himself as she smiled at him. The girl walked in the opposite direction of Nolo and entered the elevator. His eyes followed her until she disappeared from view. Who was she? He thought that she looked familiar, but he wasn't sure.

Shaking off the experience, he headed for Vert and Shirako's room, not sure if he was ready to tell them the fate of their cars.

**Okay, there's the second chapter! Now to my reviewers:**

_Nikki Wylde: Thanks! Much appreciated. Oh, and when are you going to update Sabrina? I've been waiting!_


	3. Bargaining for Woofers

The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla

Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did

Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?

Author's Note: Wow, how did I ever make time for this chapter? Between Volleyball, School, and Homework, I'm swamped… but as they say somewhere-that-I-can't-remember: "The show must go on!" btw, ignore the lines that are at the end of this chapter, if they're still there when I post this, because my computer went wacky for a bit

Chapter Three: Bargaining for Woofers

"Mark!" Kara called, exiting her canary yellow Dodge Stealth

pulled into the warehouse that served as home for her gang.

"Kara!" Mark echoed, stepping out of his small "office", which was actually an old storage room. He was busy scanning a couple of papers that sat pinned to a clipboard. His mousey brown hair was messy, as always, and his black t-shirt covered the top half of his tan cargo pants. Green eyes looked up from the clipboard at her, his mouth curving into a smile.

"Hey," Kara said with a gleam in her eye.

"Wait," Mark said, his eyes finding their way back to the clipboard. "You don't need to say a word. I already know that look," He turned and started walking towards the main room.

Kara sighed. "Mark,"

"Ask your brother!" He said, waving his hand over his shoulder at her.

"But he's nothing like you, Mark!" She said, running after him. The best way to get Mark to do something was either to flatter him, or to bribe him, and Kara's mind wasn't exactly pouring out ideas at the moment.

"Stop the flattery, Kar, I'm not doing anything for you."

Oh. That was just wonderful. Now she had nothing against him. "Ma--"

"No."

Kara stopped walking and thought for a second. She would have to use bribery. "What if I threw in a brand-new Apple iPod mini?"

"Already got one,"

Shoot. "What about a new... CD player AM/FM radio with a built in XM digital radio and mini DVD player?"

This made Mark stop and turn around. "Where do you think you're going to get one of those? I've never even seen something like that before."

"I've got my sources," Said Kara, not even knowing herself where she would get something like that.

"Well, if you _do _happen to stumble upon something of that magnitude, then my answer is yes. But for now, if you're looking to bribe me, and you _cannot _find the CD, XM, DVD mix thing, then I need a new woofer system for my car."

Kara nodded vigorously. "Agreed!"

"But!" Mark objected with a grin, never looking up from the clipboard. "I must know what is expected of me first."

It was Kara's turn to grin. "Well..."

VVVVVVVVVV

All five of the Teku finally arrived at Racer's Cafe to see a dozen other racers all clad in different gear sitting at various tables around the room. Vert's face had shifted from the usual smile into a hard glare, not really enjoying the fact that Reverb had disappeared. Shirako, though, looked as he usually did, and if he was unhappy, he sure didn't show it. Kurt stepped forward as an African American waitress waltzed toward them.

"Kurt, honey! I thought you were never comin' back here!" She said, giving Kurt a one-armed hug.

"Mari! It's so good to see you again." Kurt smiled.

"Well, who are all these guys? Did you finally get a gang or somethin'?"

"Well, no, I _joined_ one. This is the leader of the Teku, Nolo." He motioned to Nolo, who had now stepped up beside him.

"Nice to meetcha, Nolo,"

"And this is Vert Wheeler, Shirako Takamoto, and Karma Eiss,"

Mari nodded in welcome. "Well, hon, let's get you guys seated, then I'll see what I can find about grub around here." She led them to a table that had room enough for all of them, then she handed out menus. "Just tell me when you're ready," Said Mari, walking towards the entrance of the kitchen.

"Who was that?" Asked Vert.

"_That_ was Mari Zaane, one of the 'nicer' girls around here."

"Um, 'nicer'? What do you mean by that?"

"Have you ever met a girl that's in a gang, Vert? They aren't all that nice, well, most of them, anyway."

"Mari's in a gang?" Said Karma, glaring at Kurt.

"Um, yes, I... think she is," Said Kurt, his eyes wandering a little. He snapped back to look at Nolo. "Who are we supposed to meet? Did he ever give you specifics?"

Nolo shook his head. "No, he just said to come here,"

"Oh,"

Just then, what looked like a teenager in a black hoodie and tan cargo pants walked in. Looking around, he too was approached by Mari and they started talking. She motioned to the table where the Teku were seated. He nodded and approached the small group of racers, who had silenced themselves. Even Shirako's music was off.

"Which one of you guys is Nolo Passaro?" He said, green eyes glancing from person to person.

"I am," Said Nolo, standing up. "And you are?"

A blank expression crossed the teen's face. "I am here on behalf of my employer... to give you this." He swung his backpack onto the table, pulling out a large envelope.

"Um... thanks," Said Nolo, taking it out of his hands.

The brunette teen nodded and left, he couldn't believe that he was getting a brand-new system just to do that!

Nolo sat back down, everyone's anxious eyes were on him.

"So? What's in it?" Said Shirako impatiently.

Opening the package, Nolo pulled out paper, on top, was a letter addressed to him. It read:

_Nolo Passaro and Co._

_If you wish to ever see your precious, expensive, and very unique cars ever again, I hope that you would follow the following directions very carefully._

_1) Call the phone number included in this envelope._

_2)Ask the person who answers it to talk to Mr. Tezla._

_3) Mr. Tezla will tell you where you need to leave the papers that are included in this envelope._

_4)Fill out the papers and leave them where you were told to._

_If you follow these directions as they are, your cars should be back in the garage by this time tomorrow. Make sure to fill out the papers completely. You have my apology for not making the meeting tonight. Dinner's on me._

_Regards,_

_K.T._

Nolo looked in the envelope, and there, stapled to the side was a $100 bill. He ripped it out.

"Whoa," Said Vert, his eyes opening wide. "What's that for?"

"That _can't_ be for our cars," Objected Karma.

Nolo, who had gone back to looking at the letter, the name Tezla jumping out at him. "Dinner," He said absently, his mind wandering a little.

"Dinner? So he's paying for our food?"

Nolo just nodded. "Yeah, and I gotta call this guy," He showed the letter to Kurt. "Do you recognize that name from around here… you know, besides _Dr._ Tezla?"

"Actually, yes, I do," Kurt said, thinking. Everyone at the table leaned forward, waiting for Kurt to go on. Even Shirako's headphones had slipped down to around his neck. Kurt took a deep breath.

"The Tezla's are quite well known around here… partially for their amazing racing skills," He paused, wanting to build the suspense. "And…"

"Just get on with it already!" Shouted Vert. All the heads in the place turned to look at the noisy teen, and you could almost hear a cricket chirping in the background.

Kurt smiled, but as he opened his mouth to speak, it dropped of his face, only to be replaced by a look of subtle fear. "And, for their ability to steal cars right from under people's noses."

VVVVVVVVVV

"So what do you want me to do, again?" Asked Alex Tezla, Kara's twin brother.

"How many times do I have to explain this to you to get it through your pretty-boy head? Huh?" Kara said, who was absolutely fed up with her brother's "blonde moment".

"All I want you to do is to answer the phone when they call, and then look at me, and I'll tell you what to say, okay?"

"Ah, I know, sis, but I just _love_ to get you mad." Alex said, grinning at his polar-opposite.

Kara rolled her eyes and punched Alex hard, but playfully, on the shoulder. "You better watch it, 'cause someday that sense of humor of yours is comin' back to bite you in the butt."

Alex laughed. Why did his sister always have to be so serious? She had been like that ever since their brother, Luke, had died. This whole "gang" thing had been his idea, and Kara had always looked up to him and Josh, their oldest brother. Then they were dropped like a rock into the lap of their Dad's brother, Peter Tezla, after their parents died in a car crash. He didn't care for the kids; he just let them all run free in one of the many mansions that the guy owned.

And when Josh was old enough, he went off and joined the army. By then, Uncle Peter was planning this whole "Wheel of Power" thing, and all of the kids were now teens and could drive. Kara was the best out of the three of them, but Uncle Peter always acted like he never cared. Luke ran away, taking Kara with him, and Alex followed, not wanting to be left behind.

It all led to this point. Stealing cars and making money. It was all that mattered to Kara anymore, that, and getting back at her Uncle Peter.

"Hey! The telephone is ringing!" Shouted Mark in his best German accent, pointing at the tiny cell phone that lay on the desk. Alex and Kara stopped to look at Mark. It was time.

There you go. Now to my longer list of reviewers applauds:

_Wings: Yay! not about the site not letting you review, 'cause that stinks Hey, I never said Shirako wasn't yours! He is! But, hey, can I use Trin? She fits the profile of one of the characters that I'm planning on sticking in. j/w. And that whole fireball incident? Well, that happened to me! I knew exactly what it felt like to have your taste buds fried off. I've also gotten other people to try them, and I really enjoy the look on their faces! It's hilarious!_

_RacerBoy-Chase: It's cool. I didn't plan on it… but I wouldn't be giving me any ideas! Kara, being my own character, is sorta modeled after me and my personality, except my parents are still alive and well, and I don't _really_ steal cars. lol. _

_Nikki Wylde: Yeah, I've seen bits and pieces of 6teen, but never really sat down and watched it. I'm more of a Cartoon Network person, myself. But get around to working on Sabrina, cause it sounds like a good story!_

_Brenda: Thanks! Reviews are ALWAYS appreciated! grins_


	4. The Art of Blackmail

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Cool. This is actually got me going so much that I work on it during school when I can! Haha. So unusual.**

Chapter Four: The Art of Blackmail

"Well, Mark, you have hands, answer it!" Kara said, starting towards the brunette that was standing by the phone.

Mark rolled his eyes and answered it. "Hello?" By then, Kara had come close enough to hear the buzz of a voice on the other end. "Yeah, hold on," Mark drawled, looking past Kara at Alex.

"It's for you,"

Alex brushed past his sister, grabbing the black, cordless phone out of Mark's hand. "Yes?" The buzzing voice resumed.

"Who is it?" Kara said excitedly, leaning towards Alex.

He gave her a dirty look and turned away.

"Alex," She complained, pushing herself around the table and running to face her brother. "I thought we had an agreement!" Kara hissed.

Alex glared at her, his eyes narrowing down to tiny slits. "It's not who you think it is!" He hissed back, covering the speaker with his hand. A puzzled look crossed Kara's face.

"Who is it then?" She asked, her arms crossing her chest.

The buzz could heard as silence filled the space between the siblings. Alex turned and spoke in a low monotone past his hand that had lifted from speaker, then he hung up.

Turning back to his sister, he grinned slyly. "I don't think it's any of your business." He walked around Mark's desk and out into the car garage.

Kara followed him, a blank look crossing her face. "I feel the need to pry information out of you... but maybe I'll just go have a chat with Adrianna for a minute, considering you don't want to talk to me." She grinned inwardly. Adrianna Anderson was one Mark's siblings, James Anderson was the other. Together they were almost identical triplets. Adrianna was Alex's current girlfriend, but Kara had many stories to make his life harder, and even his relationship _much_ harder. She loved to watch a look of despair crawl across Alex's face when she told certain stories. Absolutely _loved_ it.

"Wait!" Alex objected. "You do _not_ need to blackmail me! That's just wrong, Kara."

Her lips stretched into a small smile. "But it works, doesn't it?"

Alex knew that he had been beat. There was no way that he was going to let Kara tell Adrianna things that were supposed to be kept secret, things people _shouldn't_ know... for their own safety.

"Yes. It does," He admitted, before giving Kara a deadly look. "I hate you,"

"Yeah, whatever, you always say that," Kara grinned. "And you are such a bad liar."

Alex rolled his eyes, she was right.

VVVVVVVVVV

"So how much do you know about these guys, Kurt?" Asked Nolo. All the Teku were now outside the Cafe, standing around their cars.

"Actually," Objected Kurt. "This might come as a surprise to you, but their leader is a girl, age 18."

"Cool." Said Shirako. His headphones had slipped back down to his neck again.

"Really? What does she look like?" Asked Vert, immediately interested.

"I don't exactly know, she doesn't come out in public often. It's usually one of her flunkies, if you can even call them that. They are all experts in something to do with racing or car-stealing."

"You never answered my question. How do you know all of this?" Asked Nolo again.

Kurt sighed. "Okay," He stared off into space for a second, thinking. "You all know that Mar--I mean, Wylde was in jail, right?" Everyone nodded. "Well, he was involved with a gang right before he was put in jail. Right before Tone's race, they sabotaged everything; it was a chain reaction. They made sure that when Tork bumped Tone, which they knew that he would, that Tone would crash."

He paused. "Then, they left Ma--Wylde to take all the blame. Of course, I didn't know all this until I visited Wylde in jail. He said that there was a guy named Luke Tezla, and it was all his idea."

"Luke? I thought you said their leader was a girl," Said Karma, who was now sitting on the curb.

"She is, but Luke was her older brother. He died a year and a half ago in a shooting with two bullets to the chest. I heard that her and her twin brother barely got out of there alive."

"Twin brother? What? I am getting seriously confused now." Said Vert, puzzled.

"Yeah," Said Nolo. "But there is one thing that would really help us if you knew..."

"What's that?"

"Do you know where their hideout is?"

VVVVVVVVVV

"I wonder when they're gonna call." Said Mark curiously, fingering a string that hung off his shirt.

Alex and Kara were staring off into space, not hearing what Mark had just said. The rest of the gang was gone for the night, out clubbing or something.

The rumbling of a car could faintly be heard, then shouts. Kara looked towards the entrance; nothing. She absently went back to staring at the wall, until a voice jolted her out of it.

"Who's gonna call?" All three of them jerked their heads to the once empty entrance. There stood three figures, outlined by the headlights of a car.

**YES! A cliffhanger! What now? laughs Sorry this chapter was a little short, I have tons of homework and I need to get it done. Now to my reviewers!**

_Nikki Wylde: Piano? Exam? Both aren't all that good in my book... probably because I don't play the piano! I'm looking forward to your update._

_KawaiiYamato: To answer your question: No, you didn't read too quickly, and, no, you didn't miss it. I never explained how Kurt knew all of it, but that was kind of a 'hint' of what's to come. Your pretty good catching it, I didn't really think anyone would. But hopefully this chapter helped. _

_Wings: Thanks! Yay! I think I can put her in the next chapter. And of COURSE she can have Shirako! I wouldn't have it any other way. You can go ahead and have me read that chapter if you're not sure, but I just want you to update! _


	5. The Sheckler Complex

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Man, the ideas are flowing like water, now! Type like the wind! This chapter is a little violent, so beware.**

Chapter Five: The Sheckler Complex

"What's wrong, Tez, at a loss for words?" Said the figure in the middle. He was right; Kara _was_ at a loss for words, so it was a good thing that Alex spoke first.

"Who...?" He asked, almost as speechless as his sister.

"What, Al? Don't tell me you, too, have forgotten me. That hurts my feelings!"

Mark caught on first. "...Sheckler." He mumbled just loud enough for Kara and Alex to hear.

"Aaron Sheckler?" She questioned, copying Mark.

"Oh! And she remembers!" Said the figure sarcastically, stepping out of the headlights and into the florescent lighting of the old warehouse. Aaron Sheckler, age 21, bleached hair and a nose ring. That's how everyone pretty much remembered him, him and his crazy hyena laugh. He had so many goons that he didn't have to steal cars, he just had to threaten the owner with them.

"Yes," Alex said, standing up.

"Alex..." Kara warned; also standing up, ready to stop her brother from punching Aaron to the next county. Truthfully, though, she wished that she could let him, but she couldn't risk getting Alex killed.

"Aw, look at that. Tez really has a heart, how sweet," Aaron said, grinning. "Too bad I'm about to break it."

"What?" Kara said, reconsidering her attempt to keep Alex from pummeling Aaron.

"Yeah, that's right. An old friend of mine just called at told me that somebody stole their cars. And, guess what? I just happened to know exactly who did it. Kara Tezla, in the garage, with a lock pick. Case solved. There's a bonus, too," He grinned wider, walking up so that he was face to face with Kara. "I'm getting paid to bring the cars back... and there's extra cash in it if I bring the thief, too."

Kara could smell cigarettes in his breath. "Ha, fat chance," She spat. "How do you even know it was me, anyway?"

"Only one beautiful little girl could break a lock system like Tork's," Aaron said, his hand coming up to Kara's face. Alex saw the gesture and took a split second to consider the odds. They were against him, but now that this guy was moving up on his sister, he would be glad to give Aaron a couple black eyes and a bloody nose at any consequence.

"You sicko!" He shouted, diving at Aaron. Alex hit him square in the chest, with a knee in his stomach when they landed on the ground. Kara stared for a moment while she watched Alex's blows land all over Aaron's face before she pushed her brother off of him.

"What do you think you're doing?" She shouted at him.

"He--" Alex started.

"I know! I was there, remember?" Kara's hazel eyes looked down at Aaron as he started to stand. Kara then planted a swift kick between his legs, causing Aaron to crumple to the ground once again. Two goons came running, one to help Aaron, and another to take care of the troublemakers.

"Watch out!" Kara said as Goon Two ran behind Alex and wrapped his arms around the skinny brunette. Alex yelped in pain as the air was squeezed out of his lungs. Kara started running to help her brother, but another pair of giant arms wrapped around her body. With one arm pinned against her, she struggled to push the arms away with her other arm. She kicked back and wormed around in the man's grasp to no avail. Both Alex and Mark's results were the same, nobody was going anywhere soon.

Kara stopped struggling and reached over the man's arms and tucked her legs up to feel around her ankles. She pulled out the small pocket knife and buried the blade in one of the man's arms. He cursed in pain and dropped her to pull the knife out, Kara took the opportunity to run.

Her adrenaline kicked in and she ran faster than she had ever thought possible. She headed for the stairs, not knowing where she would go after she got up there, but Sheckler's goons blocked all the other exits.

"Kara, watch out!" Shouted Mark. Kara's feet slowed tremendously at the cry from her friend. But shortly after, pain crashed over her like a tital wave, blossoming from her back. Kara gasped as she fell to her knees. She turned to see burly goon with a fairly large crowbar in his hands. Everything seemed to go in slow motion, she was able to get to her feet and dodge the first swing, but the second swing came like a the goon was hitting a home run.

Hitting her in the ribs, she thought heard herself cry out, but everything seemed so far away that she wasn't sure. The world melted away as her body fell to the ground, the pain was too great for her to stay conscious. Giving up, she surrendered to it.

VVVVVVVVVV

"It was a good idea to call your cousin, Vert." Said Nolo, sitting on the couch of the hotel lobby. "From what you said, she seems like she'll know how to take care of this problem."

"Yeah, but I think she's gonna be a lot more than we bargained for, and I don't mean that in a good way." Vert said. If he knew his cousin, Trinity, she would bring all of the Atomic Winds, and maybe more. And he was scared of the "maybe more" part.

"Ah, is that her?" Asked Karma, nodding towards the entrance.

Vert turned to see a girl walk in the entrance. "Trinity!" He shouted, jumping up. She was a blonde, with a purple and white racing outfit that accentuated her curves. Blue eyes, similar to Vert's, scanned the room after she hugged her cousin. They landed on Shirako for a moment before continuing on. There was a very confident air about her as the others approached and introduced themselves.

"Trinity," Said a Mexican guy, poking his head through the door.

"Yeah, Mikey?" Trinity said, turning around to face him.

"There's a guy out here looking for some Tork dude, does your cousin know him?"

Trinity turned to Vert. "He's upstairs," Vert mentioned. "Why? Do you want me to get him?"

Mikey nodded. "That would be good,"

"Just a sec, Trin, I gotta go get Tork." Vert brushed past his cousin and headed for the elevator.

…**YES! Fifth chapter complete! But I updated the exact same day that I posted the last chapter, so there was no time to review. I will probably update again really soon, cause I'm on a roll! **

**KARA**


	6. The Prelude to Problems

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: This chapter sprung upon me. It wasn't ment to happen like this, so I'm pretty much making this up as I go along. Basically.**

Chapter Six: The Prelude to Problems

"You called your cousin?" Tork said, standing in the elevator with Vert.

"Uh, yeah, I already said that."

"Oh, sorry." He paused. "I found an old friend of mine who's gonna help us get our cars back." Tork said, completely changing the subject.

"Really? Wow. So that's what Mikey was talking about?"

"Yeah--Mikey?"

"One of Trinity's racing gang buddies,"

"Okay," Tork said as the elevator doors opened. They walked out to see a guy with bleached hair, a nose ring, and two black eyes.

Vert stopped outside the elevator. "_That's_ your friend?" He exclaimed. "He looks like he should be in jail!"

"Well, that's a nice way to greet someone," Retorted the bleached guy. "The name is Aaron Sheckler," He finished with a grin, showing tobacco-stained teeth.

"Uh... hi. I'm Vert,"

"You got a last name, _Vert_?" Aaron asked.

"Wheeler," Vert said nervously.

Tork laughed. "Hey, he wasn't always this... _dirty_. Or scary, for that matter,"

Aaron rolled his eyes. "Do you want your cars, Tork?"

"Do you got 'em?"

"Yeah, and the thief, too, if you want her."

"Her?"

"Yeah, Kara Tezla, are you surprised?"

"I've never heard of her,"

"Right, whatever." Aaron said, turning and walking to the door. He whistled, and a big, meaty guy came in carrying a guy in one arm, and a girl in the other. Another guy came in after him carrying the teenager who had delivered the envelope to the Teku.

"Here they are, Tork. Kara Tezla, Alex Tezla, and Mark Anderson. I couldn't find the others," He said, like some kid showing off his favorite toys. "They put up quite a fight, as you can see, but they were no match for my boys. Where do you want them?"

"Aaron," Tork sighed. "Put them on the couch, _gently_." The two thugs walked over and put them on the couch, though they weren't too nice about it. Trinity and all five Teku rushed to the couch to see the infamous Kara Tezla and her brother. Vert was the last one to get there, but what he saw took his breath away.

There, on the couch, sat the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Long brown hair pulled back in a ponytail with a few stray strands hanging in her face. A blue mesh racing outfit, similar to Trinity's, fit her body like a glove, like it was meant to be. A tiny line of dried blood, starting at the corner of her mouth, led down her chin; staining the mesh below it.

The guy on the other end of the couch was a split image of her, except for being a guy. Vert automatically figured that it was her twin brother.

"Hey," Nolo said, breaking the silence that fallen over the small group. Aaron and the Metal Maniacs were talking softly by the entrance. "It's that girl that I saw at the hotel after our cars were stolen! She was in the room right next to Karma's!"

A confused look crossed Karma's face. "What?"

"Right after that guy... called..." Nolo said, suddenly realizing what had probably happened.

"It wasn't a guy then," Kurt finished. "You said her voice was disguised."

"Yeah, it was."

"So," Said Aaron, surprising them all. "What do you think you're going to do with her?"

Tork approached him from behind. "We," He said, his hand making a loud _thump_ on Aaron's shoulder. "Are not going to do anything. _You_ are going to leave, now. Thank you for getting our cars back, but your services are no longer needed."

Aaron nodded with a scowl. "Whateva, Tork. Your cars are outside. Good day," He said, walking out the entrance; anger radiating from his body.

Once the door was closed, the talking started.

"What was his problem?" Asked Karma.

"Well, Sheckler likes control, and I think he was hoping to take Kara with him."

"Why?" Asked Trinity, bending down to take a closer look at the bruise on Alex's forehead.

"Wasn't it obvious?" Tork said. Everyone turned and gave him blank looks. "I guess not. Aaron and Kara were the worst enemies, and that gave Alex reasons to hate Aaron, too. From what I heard, Alex hit Aaron first, gave him both black eyes, chipped one of his teeth, and broke his nose. Then Kara pulled Alex off of Aaron, the turned and kicked Aaron below the belt. That's when Aaron's boys came and pulled all three of them apart, breaking two of Alex's ribs, five of Kara's, and fracturing Mark's arm trying to making him tell where the others were."

"Wow," Said Shirako, staring at Trinity.

Kurt hit him gently on the arm. "It's not polite to stare, Shirako." He whispered. Shirako continued to stare, but now he was smiling.

"Maybe we should get them to a hospital," Commented Vert.

"That would be a bad idea. Once the people at the hospital knew who they were treating, they would call the police." Tork answered.

"Well then, maybe we should take them up to a room."

Tork was silent, then nodded. "Carefully, though. We wouldn't want to hurt them any more than we have to."

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara awoke in the dark. Her head hurt and she felt like she couldn't move. If she was dead, then it didn't feel too good. In her attempt to sit up, pain exploded in her torso. Kara fell back; it felt like someone was sitting on her chest. Not being able to breathe meant not being able to cry out for help, and her mind tried recalling everything that had happened, but all she remembered was Aaron Sheckler. The urge to breathe got stronger, but no oxygen could enter her lungs. She heard a shout, then nothing, and the pain was gone.

**Okay, there's chapter six. Not too long, but it was more like a filler chapter for what's going to happen next… which I'm not so sure about. **

**To my reviewer!**

**_Wings: Cool. Yeah, everything isn't coming out as I planned now. I originally had Kara winning the fight between Sheckler's thugs and the Tezla siblings, but that would have been to main-stream, if you know what I mean. I'm just about to read chapter 17, which I have saved on my computer. _**

_**KARA**_


	7. Problems

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: I lost my floppy disk today! It had this whole story on it and I was going NUTS! But, then I remembered: The last time I worked on the story was on the laptop, not the normal computer. So I took out the floppy and let it go... it went flying and hit the wall, all accidentally, mind you. I would have ripped my hair out if it had broke! But it didn't, so I won't, and all's peaceful once again.**

Chapter Seven: Problems

Vert ran in the room to see Kara gasping for air. Her body shook under the pressure of an unknown force. He shouted to the others and ran to her side.

Seconds later, the convulsions stopped, and Kara's body looked peaceful lying on the bed. Vert was confused, what just happened? Kurt and Nolo ran into the room and rushed to Vert's side.

"What?" Kurt said, staring down at Kara's body.

"She... she was shaking, and then it stopped." Vert murmured. "I don't know."

Kurt bent down and felt Kara's pulse. "Her pulse is slow; I think she put herself into a coma. Unintentionally, of course, but the pain must have been too much. I've never broken five ribs before, but I could imagine that it isn't a walk in the park."

Nolo and Vert nodded. "Are you sure that we shouldn't take her to a hospital?" Asked Nolo.

"No, I'm not. But Tork is right, and if the hospital would call the police, we might find ourselves in deeper than we are now."

VVVVVVVVVV

A couple days later, Alex got out of bed with no pain shooting through his body.

"What do you think you're doing?" Asked Karma.

"Going to see my sister, what does it look like?"

"Get back in bed, Alex. Now. You broke two ribs and you need to rest!" She insisted, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him back to the bed.

"No! I want to see Kara!" He answered, pushing back.

Mark sat on his bed, his arm in a sling resting on his chest. He grinned. "Karma, let him go. He'll be back as soon as he's satisfied that Kara's fine."

Karma finally let Alex through to the door. She sat in the spot that Alex had just vacated on his bed.

"Why didn't you just let him go in the first place, Karma?" Asked Mark. His green eyes questioning her brown ones.

She avoided his gaze. "Because Kara isn't okay,"

"What?"

"Kara's in a coma, Kurt thinks it was unintentionally self-induced."

"Huh?"

"Kurt thinks that her brain couldn't take all the pain from her torso, so it put itself into a coma. Kara probably has no idea what's going on at the moment, if she's thinking at all."

Mark stared at the wall. What was he supposed to do now? His boss and one of his best friends was in a coma, and his siblings were probably going nuts looking for him. All parts of his brain were devoted to nothing; he couldn't think straight.

"Do Kara and Alex have any other relatives?"

Mark was snapped out of his daze. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Do Kara and Alex have any other relatives?" Karma said slowly.

"Don't talk like that, it's scary. It makes me feel like an old person."

"Mark!"

"Fine! Yes! They do,"

"Who?"

"Well, there's Josh, but he's in the Army at the moment. I think trying to forget that he was ever included in his sibling's crazy idea to steal cars."

"Anybody else?"

"I think they have a rich uncle somewhere, but they hate him..."

Karma's brain sparked. "How rich is he?"

"Really rich. I think he works for a Shrimp Corporation or something, I don't know much. Just enough to know that he paid a good 25 million to a bunch of drivers, and I have no idea why. That's a waste of a whole lot of money to me."

"Shrimp? Don't you mean the Scrim Corporation?" Karma asked.

"Yeah! That's it, Scrim."

"Thanks,"

"For what?"

"Ah, never mind," She said, getting up and walking towards the door. She opened it and looked back at Mark.

Mark stared back. "So you're just gonna leave me here?"

"Not if you don't wanna stay. _You_ only have a broken arm."

Mark grinned and jumped off the bed. "O-kay!" He ran out of the room, followed by Karma.

"Where are we going again?" He asked, once they were out in the hallway.

"Kara's room," She answered. Pointing to the door right next to Mark's.

"Oh," He said, feeling stupid. "Right."

VVVVVVVVVV

"What happened?" Asked Kurt. Alex sat by his sister's bed; completely blown away by the fact that Kara was in a coma.

"A lot of things," He replied, staring off into space. "It was all my fault."

"How did she break her ribs?"

Alex picked up Kara's hand and held it in both of his. "A giant guy with a crowbar. It was like he was swinging a baseball bat or something. More like a trying-to-hit-the-ball-out-of-the-park swing." Alex answered blankly. "That's all I remember. Watching her crumple to the ground, then nothing."

Kurt nodded. That wasn't good; the internal damage could be greater than they had first thought. He left the room silently, leaving Alex to be alone with his sister.

In the silent darkness of the room, Alex cried for the first time in years. He knew what it meant, and Kara had never been so close to dying before. He squeezed her hand gently, almost as if to wish her awake, and to his surprise, she squeezed back. He yelped in pain when he tried to pull his hand away from his sister's death-grip.

"Kara!" He hissed loudly, his voice cracking. A small smile slowly crept across the conscious girl's face. She let go of his hand, which now throbbed with the reminder of his emotions.

"Don't _ever_ cry over me unless I'm dead," She snapped.

_Am I dreaming?_ Alex thought, totally blown away for a second time.

"You aren't dreaming, Alex," She said, reading his mind. The edge had disappeared from her voice. "I'm awake, no matter how much I don't want to be. And as much as I am going to regret saying this later, you need to call Uncle Peter, Alex. Call him. I need to stay there until Aaron Sheckler is convinced that I'm dead."

Alex nodded warily; they needed to pull a Houdini. Making it appear as if the subject had died, you can go in and plan your attack without anyone suspecting anything. Then, BAM! You come back and hit them where it hurts, and surprise everyone.

"What are you waiting for, my idiot of a brother! GO!" She shouted, making Alex jump. "GO!"

Jumping to his feet, Alex sprinted across the room and out the door, slamming it behind him. Unfortunately, Mark and Karma were about to enter the exact same door. All three collided and landed in a mass of arms and legs on the floor. Kurt and Nolo rounded the corner to see what all the commotion was about. They tripped over somebody and landed on their faces. Vert, coming from the other direction, saw the whole thing and doubled over laughing.

There were small moans and groans as the pile untangled from each other to reveal Mark face down at the bottom. This only made Vert laugh harder. Stifled chuckles and snorts started to flood throughout the group, causing a distressed Mark to look up.

"I knew I shouldn't have gotten out of bed today." He managed to get out before his head fell back down; unconscious. Everyone agreed, rolling on the carpet; breathless with laughter.

**CHAPTER SEVEN COMPLETE! Well, it was a little long, but I never meant it to be. Now to my loyal reviewers:**

_**Wings: That wasn't a good image! AUGH! What's wrong with the world today? BUT I AM SANE! Well, sorta. grins**_

_**KawaiiYamato: Thanks. I'm glad your eyes are O.O wide. Btw, I enjoy your 'stupid' reviews… they make me laugh. And, yeah, it is Kara Tezla from the Truth Behind the Lies. I don't like typing the whole title, it takes too long. She was originally my character, but I had trouble getting an account with so I could tell everyone about her until I did.**_


	8. Calling Dr Tezla

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Ah, volleyball has officially claimed my life. It might be awhile before the next chapter is posted due to minimum time at home. I try to work on it as much as I can, but it isn't enough to get a chapter done in one night as I usually did before volleyball. I have a tourney Saturday; I'm gonna be gone all day then, and going shopping on Sunday. So, I'll try to update, but I cannot promise a thing!**

Chapter Eight: Calling Dr. Tezla

Once the mess in the hallway had been cleaned up, and Mark had been put back in bed, where he belonged, Alex headed to the nearest phone.

Picking it up, he suddenly realized that he didn't know his uncle's phone number. Alex frowned; he was always good with remembering stuff! He sighed and headed to Kara's room.

"Kara?" He asked softly, entering the room.

"What?" Came the irritated reply from the far side of the room.

"Do you know what Uncle Peter's number is?"

"No,"

"You don't?

"No, not right off the top of my head."

"Oh,"

"Ask Mark; and if he doesn't know, call Joe's cell."

"What if he doesn't know?"

"Then... then come back to my room and I'll have to look for it. I have it somewhere,"

Alex shot a confused look into the dark. "Why don't you get it now?"

"Because I'm kinda laying on a bed with a couple broken ribs at the moment!" She said harshly. "If nobody knows it, then come back and I can tell you where to find it in here... wait, no, we'll just have to remember it ourselves." Kara's voice faded into the darkness, cracking from effort of talking so loudly.

Alex released a breath he didn't even know that he was holding. You didn't want to be on Kara's bad side, even if she was bedridden. He started to exit the room when he realized something else.

"Um... Kara?" He asked nervously.

"Yes?" She answered calmly.

"Do you have Mark's cell number?"

VVVVVVVVVV

Alex pressed the phone to his ear; it rang once, then twice. He had exited Kara's room as quickly as he could after getting Mark's cell to avoid injury. If he hadn't had gotten out of there, a flying shoe might have found his face. He was lucky enough to get Uncle Peter's number from Mark, who had it in his phone for emergencies. Kara had asked why he was going to call Mark's cell when he was just in a room down the hall. Alex didn't know, really, but at any rate, he suddenly felt lazy and walked to Mark's room anyway.

The phone rang once more before a female voice answered it.

"Hello?"

"Is... Dr. Tezla there?"

"Yeah, can I ask who this is?"

"This is Alex,"

"Alex?"

"His nephew,"

"Oh," She paused awkwardly. "Okay then, just a second," There was a long silence as, he assumed, she was fetching his Uncle from where ever he was.

"Alex?" His uncle greeted him excitedly.

"Yeah?"

"What happened?"

Alex pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it before putting it back by his ear. "How did you--I mean, nothing! Can't a boy just call his uncle for no reason?" Alex said, lying through his teeth.

"Not when that boy is you," Tezla answered. "You _are_ a terrible liar, Alexander."

Alex sighed, why did everybody say that? "Um... right. But there are more important matters to be attended to at the moment."

"I will ask again: What happened? I am beginning to suspect that this has something to do with Kara, am I right?"

"Yes, Uncle."

"Did she put you up to this? How much money does she want now?"

"Hey! We're gonna pay you back! And that was _one_ time! _One time_!"

"Yeah, yeah, what does she want?"

"We need room and board, and we can pay you for it too, along with the rest of the cash that we owe you."

"Ah, don't bother with paying for staying here. But I do want that money that you owe. How many are coming?"

Alex's forehead wrinkled as he counted all the people that were now 'traveling' with he and his sister. "Well, there's Kara and I, and Mark, Whit, Adrianna, James... Tyce and... Red. Along with the fifteen others that are tagging along."

"How many is that?"

"Twenty... three, including Kara and I,"

There was silence on the other end. "Twenty-three?"

"Yeah, I can shave off a few if you want."

"Please do," Said Tezla. Alex could just imagine the stressed look on his uncle's face. Just like the time when he and his three siblings ran around the house pulling the toilet paper off the rolls in the bathrooms. It was like somebody had teepeed the whole house, which they did. A smile crossed Alex's face as he remembered the good ol' times. _That_ was fun.

"Ah... Whit, Red, and James can stay. We need Mark; and James and Tyce give us support. So... twenty,"

"Fine. Can I talk to your sister?"

Alex's eyes grew wide. "I'm afraid that's not possible at the moment."

"May I ask why?"

"Well, she kinda broke five ribs... and is sleeping at the moment."

"Five ribs!" Tezla exclaimed.

"Um, yeah, five,"

Static came across the phone line as his Uncle sighed loudly. "What next?" He asked. "Wait, don't answer that. I don't want to know."

Alex smirked quietly. "Yeah, we'll be over in a bit,"

"Fine--"

"Bye." Alex said, hanging up the phone. He always hated talking to his uncle indirectly.

"What'd he say?" Asked a voice behind him.

Alex spun to see his sister leaning on the doorway. "What...? What the--?"

"I'm fine. And I could have talked to him!"

"I thought you were sleeping! Why are you out of bed?"

"Because. Now when are we going over there?"

"Why are you out of bed?"

"When, Alex, tell me a time. You're not my mother!" She scolded, but not before she realized the harshness of her words.

Alex's head sunk to his chest. "No, I'm not," He said sullenly.

Kara closed her eyes, regretting bringing up their late parents. "Alex--"

"No," He objected. "You never take my advice, either. You're selfish, arrogant, and all you ever think about is money and cars, money and cars." He looked up, knowing that he had hit a sore spot, but he couldn't help but go on. "Who are you? I don't know you any more. Every since Luke died, you've been so serious... like there is no way to make you happy again. Maybe if there was someone else that you actually, truely cared about, they could make you see what you really have become, because I know that I can't." Alex stood and brushed past his sister into the hallway.

"And we leave tomorrow morning," He added before disappearing around a corner.

Kara just stared after her brother. She knew that he was right, and the only way to keep her emotions in check was to concentrait on other things, like making money and stealing cars. Things that she was good at.

This time, it was impossible to hold it all in. She walked into the room, which had been previously occupied by her brother, and sat on the bed where Alex had sat. The tears were flowing down her face unchecked; unchallenged by Kara's enormous ego and reputation. She laid back on the bed, not making a sound, but letting all the anger and emotion out from years past out. Each tear landed on the bed, shattering into a million other droplets before soaking into the blankets. Each tear representing a single mistake... and she had millions of them.

**There's the eighth chapter with a tiny bit of sadness! Alex is mad; Kara might have a change of heart from someone not totally unexpected, but someone who cares; new characters; Dr. Tezla comes into the picture officially for the first time, and all coming up in the ninth chapter! Now to my loyal reviewers:  
**

_**Kawaii: I absolutely LOVE Seto Kaiba! He is my absolute favorite character on Yugioh! followed by Joey, Tristan, and Duke I will take that complement, thank you! That's awesome that your 23 year old brother likes my story! And you're right, no humor not cool. Besides, laughing is good for the body and the soul... and let's just say I do quite a bit of it. ;-p Can't wait for your next review!**_

_**Nikki: Wow. Lots o' reviews! Thanks. How did you do on that piano exam of yours? **_


	9. Surprise?

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: We came in third out of sixteen teams on Saturday at the volleyball tourney. It was awesome.**

Chapter Nine: Road Trip

"Alex... wakey-wakey! It's time to see your uncle!" Mark said, shaking Alex's sleeping form gently. Alex turned over; away from Mark.

"Alex!" Mark scolded playfully, tapping his foot loudly. A sly smile crossed his face as he ran to the heavy black curtains that covered the window. "Alex... if you don't get up now, you're gonna be _really_ sorry!"

A small groan escaped Alex's lips. "Mark...there is nothing in the world that could--YAAAAHHH!" He screamed as Mark ripped the curtains apart, letting a bright ray of sunshine fall on Alex's face. Mark then ran over to the bed and ripped the covers off, revealing that, once again, Alex had been too lazy to change the night before, for yesterday's clothes still clad the teen's body.

"Mark!" Alex said, blindly groping for the covers that had disappeared. "Not fair! Not fair, Mark!" He shouted, squinting around the room for his friend. "I am going to--" Alex leaped out of bed, heading for Mark.

"AH!" Mark yelled, running for the door.

Alex followed him as fast as his legs could go, because, you know, it was still only 10 o'clock in the morning. As soon as Mark slammed the door behind him, which was right in Alex's face; Alex stopped running and rubbed his eyes. It was way too early for this kind of thing.

"Alex...!" Said Vert's cousin, Trinity, flinging the door open. There was a solid _thud_ and a yelp as the door came in contact with Alex's head, who unfortunately still stood behind the door. He fell to the floor; half dazed and half conscious.

"Oh my gosh, Alex! What happened?" She said, rushing to kneel beside his limp form.

"What do you think? You just hit me with the door!" He said. When she leaned over, her strawberry-blonde hair fell over her shoulders and tickled his face.

"What the hell were you doing behind the door?" She asked, sitting back on her heels.

There was silence as Alex thought for a second. The answer he came up with was _I don't know!_ but he wasn't about to say that out loud. So the next best thing that he could think of was to change the subject.

"Well... how did you get in my room without a room key?" He said weakly.

"Mark gave it to me,"

"No way in--Mark!" He shouted, making his ears ring with the effort.

Mark poked his head in. "That was really stupid to stand right behind a door, Al. You should know better," He quipped, then ran off down the hallway with Alex on his heels.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Kara, it's time to go. We need to pick up your cars quick, so we better leave." Said Tyce, walking up behind her. Tyce Johannson looked Asian--with his black hair, tan skin, and almond-shaped eyes, but he wasn't. The tips of his spiked hair was died a orangish-blonde, and his muscular arms could be seen below the wide openings of a sleeveless shirt. They stood by the window for a couple minutes, enjoying the view over the small park across the street.

"Kara," He reminded gently.

"Yeah, I know." She said, turning and walking past Tyce like he wasn't even there. He followed her silently out the door, where Mark and Adrianna Anderson were waiting for her.

"Where's Al?" She asked glancing from person to person.

"He's already downstairs with the Teku, Metal Maniacs, and... um... that other gang." Answered Mark, thinking. He looked at his sister, who was a spliting image of him, but wasn't that the case most of the time when you were a triplet? "What were they called again?"

"Atomic Winds, Mark," His sister said, obviously annoyed.

"Right, the great Atomic Winds!" He announced in his best booming voice. For this he received an eye-rolling from Adrianna, a glare from Kara, and a chuckle from Tyce, who got a elbow in the ribs from Kara.

"Ouch! What was that for?" He exclaimed. Kara just grinned.

VVVVVVVVVV

Alex sat in the passenger seat of Reverb, staring into space. Vert was beside him, watching the bars of music scroll by on the computer screen as he turned it from song to song.

"Alex?" He asked, looking up from the small monitor in front of him.

"Hm?" Alex replied, snapping out of his daze.

"What's your sister like?"

Alex chuckled. "Evil,"

Vert grinned. "Funny. No really, what's she like?"

"It depends on what you want to know, why?"

"Just because,"

"You like her?"

"She seems like an interesting person!"

"Well, unless she likes you back, you are in for one major heartache, dude. She hasn't dated anyone for years."

Vert fell silent for a minute. Shirako's infamous bass could be heard in the background. "Start with the basics,"

"Basics?"

"Yeah like her favorite color, favorite animal, likes, dislikes, etcetera."

"Okay then, her favorite color is blue; her favorite animal, I'm pretty sure is a cat; she likes expensive stuff, but hates jewelry. The only jewelry that she likes is silver necklaces and watches; no big, dangly stuff either. She's fairly simple... most of the time. She's not a big dancer or singer, even though she's good at both." Alex rattled off random information for a while before Mark, Adrianna, Kara, and Tyce exited the main hotel building. Mark and Adrianna rode together in the same car, as did Kara and Tyce, because Kara and Mark's cars were back at the headquarters. Alex already had a couple cars at his uncle's from all the visits, but he preferred the silver Nissan 350Z that he always drove.

They arrived at the old warehouse in about ten minutes. Kara jumped out of her car and sprinted for the giant loading door. Reaching around her neck, she pulled a key chain up over her head. Pulling a key out of the small bunch on the chain, she jammed the key in a key hole at the side of the door.

As soon as the door had risen about four feet off the ground, she pulled the key out and ducked under the door. What she saw surprised her.

**YAY! I found time! not literally SHOUT OUTS!**

**_Kawaii: _AH! KAKASHI ROCKS, DUDE! He's drawn on my trapper-keeper for school! He is just... so funny! I also like Gaara and Ino. Choji looks like a caveman; Shikamaru is fat; Rock Lee's eyebrows are huge, but Master Guy's are bigger; and Neji has no pupals. It's all good. **

**Baby niece? Everyone? I am so happy! claps hands I love it when you review! I get a huge kick out of them!**


	10. Road Trip

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Today, my sister went to empty a full box of baking soda into a container all at once. Bad idea. It poofed into a cloud of baking soda-dust and now little baking soda grits are settling all over the kitchen. I laughed at the time, but now I shame my sister because of the bad taste in my mouth. not to mention little tiny gritties in my teeth Lesson: NEVER POUR OUT A WHOLE BOX OF ANYTHING GROUND UP whether it be powdered sugar, baking soda, or anything else containing small granules OUT AT ONCE...OR ELSE. Other than that, it's all good. ;**

Chapter Ten: Road Trip

What Kara saw absolute stunned her. There sat three cars; Kara's canary yellow Dodge Stealth, Alex's silver Nissan 350Z, and Mark's red Ford Mustang GT. But all three were tagged with a gang symbol that she had only heard of but never actually seen. On the hood of each car sat a 3D circular X, painted in silver and black. The tag symbol meant that infamous Ashes gang had been there. It was a small gang, but they could make their presence known if they wanted too. They couldn't steal cars, but they could tag and kill, which was their main objective.

"Kara!" Mark shouted, also ducking into the warehouse. He stopped right next to Kara, as did everyone else who followed.

"Ashes," Murmured Alex. The Atomic Winds were the last ones to enter. As soon as Trinity saw the X that was on the hoods of the cars in front of her, she froze. She had seen that symbol before, right before she and her sister and her cousin had been recruited for the Silencerz.

"What's that?" Asked Tork.

"Ashes? It's a tagging gang that nobody ever sees... or lives to tell the tale." Explained Alex.

"Then where do all the stories come from if everybody who sees one of these 'Ashes' people dies?" Questioned Monkey.

"Oh, they're out there. Everybody who's had a car tagged by them has disappears. The thing is, nobody actually knows if they're dead or not; I think the 'dead' part is... what's the word... unknown."

Monkey nodded; a gulp could barely be seen as his head bobbed up and down.

"Yup, and now we can't take our cars," Said Kara.

Mark cursed silently. He _really_ didn't want to have to leave his Mustang in the garage, even though he knew that nobody was gonna touch it.

"Looks as if we're still buddying up on cars," Alex said, throwing his hands in the air.

"Let's go!" Shouted Kara before ducking back under the door. Everyone followed and got in their cars, leaving the old warehouse in their dust.

VVVVVVVVVV

Once they were on the road, Kara pulled out her call phone. She hoped that her brother had his cell phone on, but she had major doubts. Alex almost never had his cell phone on.

"Dang it, Al," She said after listening to the phone ring for the billionth time.

"What?" Asked Tyce, his eyes never leaving the road or Nolo's car in front of him.

"He's got his stupid cell phone off." She commented, waving her hand at him and turning to face the window. The buildings that flew by soon turned to forests and fields that lulled Kara to sleep.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Hey," Said Vert as they pulled into a gas station. "Alex, where is your uncle's house?"

"I think it's... around the Rocky Mountains someplace," Alex said tiredly.

"Um, the Rocky Mountains stretch across the _whole United States_, Alex. What state does he live in?"

"I don't know, ask Mark and Adrianna. They'll know,"

"Oh, the irony," Vert mumbled as he stepped out of Reverb. "Mark!"

"Yup?" Mark answered, stepping out of his sister's dark navy Mustang that used to match his own.

"Where does Tezla live?"

"Um, at the foot of the Rocky Mountains,"

Vert almost went nuts. "STATE!"

Mark's eyes got wide as Vert exploded. "State what?"

"NO! What _state _does he live in?"

"Oh... haha, Victor, Colorado. About a hour and a half out of Colorado Springs. Right now, we're only in Arizona, about to enter Utah; been on the road now for 6 hours."

"What? How long does it take to get there?"

"Hm... about 18 hours if you drive non-stop,"

Vert groaned. "How often are we going to be stopping?"

"From here on out... every three hours to trade drivers, it really depends on how close we are to a city. And speaking of cities, we avoided traffic by going around Las Vegas."

Vert raised an eyebrow. "Okay then," As Vert walked back to Reverb, he noticed that they were in a valley of sorts. Hills, not quite tall enough to be called mountains, rose around them. He ducked back into the driver's seat of his car.

"Alex?"

"What?"

"Where are we?"

"At this very moment, I'm not sure."

"Have you made this trip before?"

"Plenty of times,"

"So--"

"Go ask Kara, she'll know."

"Fine," Vert retorted.

"Actually, I'll go get her and she can ride with you. Then you can get to know her better and I don't have to listen to your annoying questions." Alex said, lifting himself out of Reverb and walking towards Tyce's black Ford F-150 that was parked about 100 yards away.

Vert started to object but Alex was already gone. Soon Kara was laughing at something, that he hoped wasn't what he thought it was, and making her way across the parking lot to Vert.

"Hey, we're leaving! Everyone in their cars, please!" Announced Tyce as he climbed into his truck.

Vert sighed as Kara jumped over the hood of Reverb and opened the door. Both the doors were shut at the same time, blending in with other doors shutting and engines revving as the cars were started. Then many squealing tires could be heard, sounding like one loud car, as they all pulled out of the gas station.

**Okay! Vert and Kara are finally together... intentionally; thanks to Alex. yes, Alex did do it intentionally And it's time to bring Dr. Tezla into the picture... and that means Lani, too. Trouble? I think so!**

_**Wings: No! You can't kill Alex... wait, yeah, go ahead, just leave Mark alone. I'll get him again for that somewhere along the line, except Trinity will be the one correcting him... and it's not goint to be pretty! and I think it was Mark who made the mistake, not Alex. looks back Yup. You can still kill Alex if you'd like.**_

_**Kawaii: My friends and I make fun of Lee's eyebrows, even though they do creep me out. my guy friends, cause my girl friends hate manga and anime... or so they say And I see in your profile that you like Avatar and One Piece--two awesome shows. there were others I saw on there that I liked, but I'm a little tired to remember them YES! I love cliffhangers! And I think I'm aloud to do this, because of what you did with Breaking Point! What's happening to Shirako? You can't leave me hanging! SIDETRACK-ER! haha, lol. I'm not dead... yet. And, as I said with Wings, it was Mark, not Alex. And NOBODY'S GONNA KILL MARK! And your reviews aren't stupid. glares**_

_**wbwjcmichael aka Brynn, aka Brenda: Haha, you have so many names! Thanks. I always think that I'm writing everybody out of character when I'm not, it's so wierd. Thanks for reviewing.**_


	11. Interesting Conversations

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: None today. :-p**

Chapter Eleven: Interesting Conversations

"What's up, Al?" Asked Tyce as they pulled out of the gas station. Alex had a look on his face that Tyce reconized as the _that-was-so-smart-I'm-a-genius_ look.

"Oh, nothing," Alex replied, the smirk-like grin making itself bigger.

"Oh, it is _not_ nothing, I know that look." Tyce said. "Why did you want to switch cars with your sister? There's something going on here that I don't know about."

"You got that right. Vert has a crush on Kara."

"What? That blonde dude?"

"Yup."

Tyce smothered a laugh with a fake cough... or tried to, anyway.

"What the heck was that?" Exclaimed Alex before he burst out with laughter.

"I don't know, but... Vert doesn't know what... he's getting himself into!" Tyce gasped between fits of laughter.

VVVVVVVVVV

Meanwhile in Reverb, Vert and Kara were getting to know each other.

"I don't believe we were properly introduced," Said Kara.

"Um, yeah. I don't think we were," Vert said, glancing sideways at the girl in the passenger seat. "I'm Vert Wheeler. And I would shake your hand if I wasn't driving at the moment."

Kara smiled. "Hi, Vert, I'm Kara Tezla... but I bet you already knew that."

Vert also smiled. "Yeah,"

Kara looked at the blonde in the seat next to her. He was cute, but then again, she had always been a sucker for blue eyes.

"So, where are we going in relation to the Rocky's?" He asked, trying to get the ball in her court.

"Well," She started, gazing down the road in front of them. "He lives on the other side of the Rocky Mountains, near--actually, he's pretty much _on_ Pike's Peak... the side of it, that is. Not really in a town or anything, but Victor's the closest one. He lives in Pike's National Forest; it's so beautiful. Trees and rivers and rocks... and more trees,"

"So... is there anywhere to drive our cars?" Asked Vert.

Kara looked at him and blinked. "Didn't you hear? He lives in a _National Park_. He had to sign a contract saying that he couldn't build anything except what they gave permission for. Do you think that they would allow a race track?"

Vert shook his head.

"That's right," Kara paused. "...But there is one underneath his house. One of those portal things that he used in World Race, but condensed... smaller. I have no idea if it works or not, but it's definitely there."

"What? Cool,"

Kara grinned. "That's it? Just cool?" Both of them laughed. "But that's not all, Vert. Do you know what else? There's an airforce base less then a hour and a half away in Colorado Springs, and if you cut through the forests going south, there's a whole millitary base down there!"

Vert looked at Kara. "Cool,"

VVVVVVVVVV

"What do you think they're doing back there?" Asked Tyce teasingly.

Alex twisted in his seat and looked out the window of the truck. "I don't know, I can't really see through _two cars_."

Tyce frowned. "But we're in a truck, you should be able to see over them, shouldn't you?"

"Well, obviously not!" Alex said, throwing his hands into the air and turning back around.

"You're the one who wanted to switch with her, Al! Remember? You waltzed right up here and told Kara to trade with you. You shouldn't be wondering what's going on when you're the person who started it all! Whatever goes on between those two is your fault, and yours alone."

Alex glared at Tyce. "You don't need to lecture me about it, jeez."

"And I think you _want_ something to happen, and that's why you did it."

"What! What gave you that idea?"

"You are always so protective of her, and she can't even go off by herself without you wanting to know where she's going or what she's doing."

"So?"

"Yeah, she's a big girl now, Al. Leave her alone for once,"

"Tyce, you're starting to sound like my parents, but you're only a year older than me!"

"Oh. Well, my point is she's older than you--"

"By _two minutes!_" Exclaimed Alex.

"--and you should trust her. So stop freaking out about it," Finished Tyce with a small grin.

"WHO EVER SAID I WAS FREAKING--" Alex started to yell, but stopped himself. "Fine,"

VVVVVVVVVV

Both Kara and Vert were laughing. "Then, Alex ran to Uncle Peter and pulled him back through the house. There was so much toilet paper everywhere," Said Kara; then sighed.

"That was hilarious," Vert said, wiping his eyes and taking a deep breath.

Kara grinned. "So, do you have any siblings?"

"No, unfortunately. You're so lucky having three brothers."

"Ha, that's what you think,"

"It sounds like a blast!"

"Well, it all depends on who it is and where it happens. You get lucky sometimes, and sometimes you get in loads of trouble." She paused. "Did you ever get in any trouble, Vert? Being an only child sounds tough, 'cause you'd always get blamed for everything."

"Well, yeah, but my mom always thought I was 'so cute' until I became a teenager."

"That happened to all of us,"

Vert nodded. Ahead of them, the cars started pulling into a rest stop. "It's been three hours already?"

"Yeah, time flies when you're having fun." Kara quipped while she pulled herself out of Reverb. She jogged towards Mark, who was getting out of Adrianna's Mustang.

"Man," Vert said, opening his door.

VVVVVVVVVV

"VERT!" Screamed Alex, running towards Vert, who was getting out of Reverb. "Vert!" He said weakly; he was now out of breath. Alex leaned up against Reverb.

"What?" Asked Vert urgently.

"How did it go?" Alex gasped.

Vert slumped over. "That's it? Well, it went fine, I guess. Your sister has some pretty funny stories about you, though." He said, grinning.

Alex's eyes grew in size. "What?"

**Ahaha! I love making Alex freak out. Next Chapter Preview: The Introduction of Dr. Peter Tezla of the Scrim Corps. not the SHRIMP corps, we ain't talkin' Forest Gump here More volleyball tomorrow! It should be ending in the middle of March, but softball starts the begining of April. luckily, it's not everyday like volleyball! Sorry, I updated fast, so if you didn't get a chance to review, I'm sorry!**

_**Wings: Yup, heating up, definitely coming up! The Ashes are going to be playing an important role in upcoming events. hint: it has something to do with the millitary And, btw, Victor, Colorado is an actual town next to Pike's Peak. I randomly selected on this maps thing a place on near the Rocky Mountains, and it happened to be Victor, Colorado, near Pike's Peak, 1 1/2 hours outside of Colorado Springs. There is an actual millitary base and airforce base there too. Cool, huh? It was perfect. Vert and Kara have 6 more hours in Reverb together, but I doubt anything else but bonding is going to happen. grins Which is too bad. It's kinda hard getting everybody in the story! Ah! I'm getting panicky! But anywho, some characters are gonna disappear wink wink for a while when everyone gets to Tezla's house. heehee, lol.**_


	12. Arrival

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Here it is! and that's all for now, folks**

Chapter Twelve: Arrival

"Your brother is the weirdest guy I have ever met in my entire life." Vert said a while after they had started back on the road again; this time with Kara driving.

"Really, what he say?" Kara asked; intrigued.

Vert didn't know what to say; would he tell her the truth? "Um... I don't think you want to know." He finally said.

"Oh-ho-ho, I think I'll find out if you don't tell me." She said threateningly, knowing that she couldn't do anything to ever hurt Vert, not even blackmail. She actually thought that if Vert liked her, then she could give him a chance.

Vert didn't know that though. "Uh... I--er, he--"

"Vert! I was just kidding... even though I probably could if I wanted too."

"Oh, haha, funny," He said nervously.

Kara laughed. "You just crack me up, Vert, you know that?"

Silence blanketed the car for a couple moments that seemed like eternity to Vert. What now?

"Wow. This car handles great, Vert. Where'd you get it?"

"Tezla," He said mindlessly.

Kara's head whipped towards him; a look of complete disbelief crossed her face. "My uncle doesn't build cars!" She exclaimed. "No way!"

Vert slapped himself inwardly. "No! That's not what I meant... he supplied all the parts and we all built cars."

She glared at him suspiciously. "We?"

"Um, us; the Teku. A couple Maniacs did too."

"Hm," She said thoughtfully. "So... you built it?" Kara fingered the shifting stick under her right hand, the smooth leather played under her fingers like silk.

"...Yeah, I did,"

"Cool," She grinned, bringing up the small inside joke.

Vert chuckled. "Cool,"

VVVVVVVVVV

After another six hours and a rest stop, they arrived before the private drive of Doctor Peter Tezla.

Kara's cell phone rang. Picking it up she saw Mark's cell number flash across the small screen. "Mark,"

"Yeah, Kara? We got seventeen cars here, do you think your uncle has enough room for all of us?"

Kara grinned. "Wait until you see his house, then you tell me." She said, then hung up.

"Who was that?" Asked Vert, who was back in the passenger's seat.

"Just Mark. He wanted to know if Uncle Peter had room for all of us."

"And... does he?"

"Oh yeah, nobody's gonna even have to share a room."

"What about our cars?"

Kara laughed. "You know that portal-thing that I told you about?"

"Yeah?"

"_That_ is where are cars are gonna go." They pulled up to a giant mansion that was built into the side of a giant mountain, which everyone assumed was Pike's Peak. Kara pulled Reverb up beside Adrianna's Mustang and rolled down the window. Mark, who was in the passenger's seat, did the same.

"Where do we go with the cars?" He asked, motioning to the giant house. "I don't see a garage,"

"Ah, yes. Follow me," She said before rolling up the window. "Here we go,"

Pulling the key chain out of her jacket again, she pressed a little round button that sat on a car key. A door opened in the side of the mountain, revealing a dark tunnel. Kara turned to Vert. "Where's the lights on this thing?" She asked.

Vert reached across her to the left side of the steering wheel, careful not to touch her in any way. He flicked a switch and fluorescent lights flashed on and lit up the tunnel ahead; it was still dark. Kara revved the engine and Vert was thrown back in his seat as Reverb's tires burned and they shot into the darkness. She pulled the car into a sharp turn and brought it to a stop right next to a black car that couldn't be identified in the dark. Kara pushed the door open and jumped out; disappearing into the inky blackness. Other cars pulled in and settled next to Reverb, they too weren't identifiable until lights flickered on from above and the cars were turned off.

Vert stepped out of Reverb after pulling the key out of the ignition. Kara had been right, an exact copy of the AcceleDrome Track sat in the room, but a bit smaller. Actually, the whole room almost looked like the AcceleDrome without the towers and rooms, so it was a lot smaller. Instead, there were two cylindrical, glass elevators set into the wall of the room.

Kara was running back from turning on the lights, whose power came from a giant electrical fuse box on the wall. Alex ran over to her, closely followed by Mark.

"I'm gonna go make the announcement about our arrival to Uncle Peter." Said Alex, his momentum carrying him forward as he brushed past his sister.

Mark gave Kara a goofy grin as he started past her. "And I am going to accompany him!"

Kara grabbed Mark by his black jacket. "Oh, no you don't! I'm going up and _you _are going to stay down here with everybody else. I don't think Uncle Peter would be glad to know that the guy who blew the circuits last time has turned up at his house again."

"Oh yeah," Said Mark, amused at his own mishap. "I remember that! That was when--"

"Yeah, you plugged in all of the car sound systems in one outlet. He was really ticked when everything went out while he was working on his computer on that hologram project." She grinned. "You are in charge down here while I'm gone. Don't let anybody touch anything and, Mark? Don't plug anything into the outlets unless you absolutely _know_ that it's an outlet and not a phone jack or an alternative energy source."

Mark gave her a solemn look. "How was I supposed to know what it was? It looked exactly like a outlet!"

"Whatever Mark, we all know the story." She replied before sprinting after her brother towards the elevators.

"'Whatever Mark, we all know the story.' Wah, wah, wah." Mark said in a mocking voice. "I wish they wouldn't bring that up every time I come here!"

VVVVVVVVVV

"Uncle Peter!" Alex called down the hallway. "We're here!"

"Shut up, idiot, he probably already knows." Kara said harshly, whacking her brother in the chest with the back of her hand. "His room is the last one on the left."

"O-kay! Then let's go!" He announced, and set off down the hallway. Kara followed him down and the opened the door.

"Could you guys be any louder?" Asked their uncle's scruffy voice.

"Yeah, but we chose not to be." Said Alex. "Nice to see you again, Uncle." All three of them hugged each other before Tezla broke the silence again.

"So where are your friends?" He asked.

"Did you think we'd bring all eighteen of them up here?"

"Knowing you, yes," He said.

Alex just grinned as they stepped out and headed back to the elevators. This was going to be a stay to remember.

**ta-da! I've got the future chapters planned out already in my notebook, so it shouldn't take as long to post them; now I just gotta find time to do so! But right now, I'm hyper-happy because one of my favorite TV shows just premiered again I'm pretty sure it's third season on SciFi... Ghost Hunters! Yay! They had it off for the longest time... Well, now to my precious REVIEWERS!**

_**Brenda: Cool. Thanks for reviewing!**_

_**Wings: Another chapter WILL be riding the heels of this one if I can get it typed up! And, haha, yeah, freaking out calls for laughing. **_

_**Kawaii: Review properly? Is there a correct way to REVIEW PROPERLY? Jeez. I can tell Alex that I... ack! I mean, YOU feel for him. laughing I know about 3 Alex's in real life alex tezla's personality is a mix of all of them, and if I were to tell any of them that "KawaiiYamato knows how you feel," they would stare at me like I had three heads. well, I know that one would, the one that goes by Al might make a comment back, and another would just laugh at me and tell me that I'm weird. And bare feet? raises an eyebrow**_


	13. Cliffside

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Hmm... I'm too tired for an author's note. XD**

Chapter Thirteen: Cliffside

"Aw, man!" Kara said, glancing around. "This is all you had for my back up car?" There was one candy-apple red Dodge Grand Prix GT sitting in front of her.

"What?" Alex said, almost whining. "It was the best I could find on short notice!"

"Short notice? Alex, I gave you 2 months!"

"Huh?"

Kara rolled her eyes; sometimes she _hoped_ that Alex was adopted. "Fine, but I wish you would have got a good paint job or something. Now I have to do it all myself."

"Why don't you send it to Joe?"

"'Cause I don't want to wait a hundred years for it to come back!"

"Oh, haha, right," Alex said before he turned and walked out of the small side-garage. Kara walked around the sleek car, examining every part closely. Soon, she had a plan of the car that she could make out the Grand Prix in her head.

Kara walked out where everybody else's cars were. "Hey, Mark, I'm taking a walk out to the Cliffside. Make sure Alex--actually, _you_ make sure _you_ don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"Um... okay?"

"Wait, scratch that; Adrianna!" Kara called.

"Yeah?" Came the answer from under the hood of her Mustang.

"Make sure the guys don't do anything dumb while I'm gone."

"Can do,"

"Thanks," Kara said as she turned and ducked under the half-open garage door. Vert stole a glance sideways out from under the hood of Reverb at the exiting girl.

"Go ahead," Said a voice behind him.

Vert whipped his head around so fast that he hit it on the hood. Cursing silently, he came out to see Trinity standing there.

"I don't blame you if you follow her." She said.

"What makes you think--"

"Come on, Vert, you know you want to." Said Courtney, coming up beside Trinity.

Vert thought for a second.

"We'll cover for you,"

They practically made up his mind for him. "Fine, I'll go,"

Both girls exchanged grins. Vert dashed out the garage door, barely catching a glimpse of Kara as she disappeared into the woods. He sprinted to the trail and followed her quietly as she walked to where ever this "Cliffside" place was. He almost felt like he was a spy or something... narrating his own adventure.

"And he jumped back, she wasn't far ahead now. This was the last chance, he had to capture her; the _evil_ one." Vert whispered, jumping and running around the trees.

They finally arrived at the Cliffside, which happened to be a rock cliff that overlooked the Cove of the Seven Falls, and beyond that, you could barely see the Fort Carson Military Base. Kara sat with her back against the trunk of a giant weeping willow; her eyes were closed. The mist of the falls rose up out of the small cove, as did the faint rumbling from below.

"You can come out now, Vert, I know you're following me." She said, just loud enough for Vert to hear her over the thundering falls.

Vert stepped carefully out of the woods. How did she know? He was quieter then a mouse! He sat down a couple feet away from the brunette.

"How did you know it was me?" Asked Vert.

"Please," She replied, chuckling. "You should _never_ dart back and forth across a path when you're following someone. Besides, I could hear you narrating all the way down the trail."

Vert grinned. "Ah, you caught me. How did you know where this place was? It's amazing,"

"I've spent many years at Uncle Peter's, and you'd think I wouldn't explore these woods? Come on, staying at my uncle's house is almost as boring as watching paint dry; at least, after you explore the house. _That_ took us a few days,"

"Us?"

"My brothers and I,"

"Oh, cool," Vert said, flopping on his back. "It took forever to get here, though."

"Actually, only a half a hour if you run or jog."

"Okay, fine, it _seemed_ like forever," He said, grinning. She grinned back for a while before going back to gazing at the falling water. It was almost hypnotic if you stared for too long. Her eyes soon took a break and looked out over the solar-panel covered military base not too far away. A thin line of dust rose from the dirt road that lead along the barbed wire fencing towards them. Kara squinted; she couldn't tell whether it was on the inside of the fence or the outside.

"What?" Said Vert, sitting up.

Kara looked at him. "You're covered with dust,"

Vert looked down; noticing the small particles of dirt covered his jacket. He tried to brush them off, but it only caused the dust to rise into the air around him.

"Whoops," He said, coughing.

"Smooth," Kara said.

"What is... it?" Said Vert, who was still coughing.

Kara squinted again; she could now make out something on the outside of the fence. "I don't know, but it's heading this way."

Vert also squinted at the line of dust. "Huh, I wonder..."

"Car; it's a silver car."

**Muahahahaha! A silver car! Evilness. Actually, I guess it is. _You _just don't know it yet! Muahahahaha! thunder crashes Haha-haha. Well, I think I am going to start another story soon... maybe some Acceleracers drabbles? Or maybe I'll put them through Volleyball practice! yup, it's that tough! heehee.**

_**Kawaii: Yeah... I think Tezla knows that the Teku and the Maniacs were there... but then again... Alex only told him that there were "fifteen others that were tagging along." hmm... I love stupidness! It's so hilarious! I told the Alex that would think I was weird, and he just gave me a puzzled look. And I also remembered another Alexander that would go with Alex! Al on Sahara the movie! He's so cute when he's paranoid. n.n fun.**_

_**Wings: I like to watch TV while I write my stories. It provides instant inspiration. I think that that was where those two lines came from... either that or a book. I have the next two chapters in my 'story' journal, so they should be up soon. YES! Update! You should put in a 'drabbles' story too, so you can put all your short stories in there for everyone to enjoy! They're so funny! **_

_**firedragon: Thanks.**_

_**Brenda: Haha... no. I don't think they'll be getting in a car together for a while... but it still might happen! heehee.**_


	14. The Military?

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Too tired. Gotta go to V-ball soon, so I'm typing fast.**

Chapter Fourteen: The Millitary?

Kara knew that the fence ran up the side of the hill, eventually stopping before the thick forest. The road followed it and turned along with the fence, but, unfortunatly, it came dangerously close to where the two teens were sitting. The ninety-degree turn was no more than one-hundred yards from the small cliff.

Vert turned to look at Kara as her eyes widened. "What?" He asked for what seemed like the billionth time.

Kara pushed herself to her feet. "That car looks strangely like... a Silencerz, but what would they be doing out here?" She looked at Vert. "But, all the same, I would hide before they see us; whoever they are."

She walked behind the gnarled trunk of the old willow, beconning Vert after her. He got up and followed, his eyes following the car as it made its ascent towards them. Kara pushed off of the trunk and leaped into the woods; hiding behind a stand of young trees. Vert did the same just as the car slowed to a stop at the bend.

Kara ducked down and peered through a gap between two of the trees. As the car's engine died and the door opened to reveal a man dressed in a white Silencerz outfit; minus the helmet.

"Silencerz! I knew it!" She said taking a deep breath. "Vert, I think we'd better get farther into the woods." There was no answer. "Vert?" Said Kara spinning around on her heel. There, stood a Silencerz agent with a pistol in his hand. She glanced around; Vert was laying on the ground, a pink-feathered dart coming out of his back.

A small flash of light appeared as the Silencerz agent shot again and the sun glinted off the small dart right before it hit Kara square in the chest. The force knocking her backwards into the trees behind her. Soon, she was unconsious.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Mr. Tezla! Mr. Tezla!" Shouted Mark, who was jogging through the hallways of the mansion. "Mr. T--"

"What do you want, boy?" Said Tezla; a door on Mark's left flying open and the elder man's head poking out. "You don't need to run about the house screaming when I'm right here."

"Actually," Objected Mark. "I do. I had no idea you were there, and the only solution I could come up with was to shout."

"But it _wasn't _the only solution,"

"Oh, yeah, I know, but I can't ask Alex where you are--"

"Why not?"

"Because he's sleeping, and the last time I woke him up, he was so tired that he ran into the door. Wait--no--the door ran into _him_."

"What? Why can't you ask Kara?"

"Well, that's why I was trying to find you. She's been missing since around 4 o'clock yesterday."

"Hmm... well, I don't know where she is." Tezla stopped, studying Mark's face carefully. "Hey... you're that kid who blew the power!" He exclaimed.

Mark flashed a nervous grin. "Well, yeah, haha... thanks, but I'll be going now." He said as his shoes gripped the carpet and he sprinted down the hallway.

"Just don't touch any of my outlets!" Tezla shouted after him before slamming the door.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Trinity," Said Nolo, approaching the blonde. "Have you seen Vert?"

"Um, no," She replied quietly; pushing herself out from under her modified Lancer Evo, Bass Reflex. "Not since he followed Kara out of here yesterday."

Nolo gave Trinity a weird look. "Yesterday?"

"Yeah," Said Trinity; suddenly realizing what Nolo was getting at.

Nolo gave her another look. "All night?"

Trinity stopped in mid nod when she realized what Nolo was getting at. "Nolo! Vert wouldn't do something like _that_, you perv."

"How do you know?"

"Well, he's my cousin!"

"But he's in _my_ gang!"

Trinity squinted her eyes as she thought for a second. "Well..." Her face suddenly lit up as an idea popped into her head. She brought her hand across his face in a slap. It wasn't hard, but hard enough to make a sharp clap as her hand connected with his face.

"Ow! What the heck was that for?"

"You insulted Vert!"

Nolo looked at her. "Ow," He said simply. "Well, do you think they got lost?" He asked after an uncomfortable pause.

"I don't know," Said Trinity with a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe we should look for them."

"Um... where do we start? I mean, they've only been gone a day."

"Exactly. If they are lost, then we shouldn't wait any longer because there might not be any evidence of where they went from where ever they were."

"Where were they?"

"Mark knows; I saw her talking to him right before she left."

"O-kay..." Said Nolo, turning in a circle and scanning the area. "Where's Mark?"

"That I do not know," Trinity replied.

"Then let's find him,"

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara woke to a blinding white room. It was even whiter than a hospital; and she hated hospitals. There was a burning in her chest where the dart had hit, and was now removed. Her arms were held above her chest by metal cuffs went inside the wall, making it painful to stand all the way up. She grunted as she shifted to make herself more comfortable; which wasn't all that comfortable.

After a couple minutes of staring at the blank, boring walls, something moved and a door appeared, revealing a beady-eyed, gray-haired man who was followed by a girl who was the same height as Kara, but could obviously be older. She had red-blonde hair and sharp blue eyes, almost like Trinity's.

"Welcome, Kara Tezla," Said the man; his voice had an edge to it, as if he wanted nothing more than to chop off her head and be done with it. "I hope your accomidations are to your liking."

"Well... you could do a little something about these metal things on my wrists."

"Ah, that comes with the room,"

"That's too bad, because if they didn't, then I would give you five stars for the most boring room _ever_."

The man flashed a yellow-ish grin at Kara. "Ah, sarcasm; too bad it won't do any good here."

"What do you mean? I wasn't being sarcastic! I really would give you five stars for the most boring room ever."

"I guess that answers it for me." He said, turning to the girl. "You have her for eight hours to get what you need. I'm going to go see that our other guest is... satisfied... with his room."

The girl grinned evilly, her blue eyes showing a steely glint. "Eight hours will be more than enough," She said, turning towards Kara. She revealed a row of perfectly straight teeth that formed a brilliant smile, but her eyes told a different story. They told her that she was in for a long eight hours.

**That's done. Haha, now to the reviewers:**

_**Brenda: I feel like an announcer. Thanks for reviewing... I seriously appriciate it. and yeah, most guys try to be sneaky... but they end up looking dumb**_

_**Kawaii: Haha! You now know the answer to your question. Stalking freaks me out... cause my friend does it. seriously, she does But I haven't had any homework in forever... which makes me happy. I get it done in class most of the time. while listening to the girl next to me put an 'o' at the end of every word; the whole class talking like they were on the phone; and a couple people asking other people how to say certain words in spanish...**_


	15. Silencerz Interrogation

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Ah, I was bored today... everyday seems like Wednesday... don't ask me why...**

Chapter Fifteen: Silencerz Interrogation

Vert struggled paced along the white walls of his room. He had been awake for exactly seven minutes now and he was going crazy. There was nothing to look at, nothing to do, and nothing to kill himself with. Vert stopped walking, and with nothing to do, he threw himself on the ground.

The door silently slid open, revealing the gray-haired man that had left Kara's room. Vert never suspected a thing as the man walked in and leaned over his eagle-spread body.

Vert slowly opened his eyes after a couple seconds. He jumped out from under the man with a shout, scrambling crab-style until his back was against a wall.

"Hello," Said the man.

"What the...? Who are you?" Vert exclaimed.

"I... I'm Admiral Graymond of the Silencerz Agency, and _you_, boy, are going to tell me what I want to know; before this gets ugly."

"Where's Kara?"

"That's for me to know, and for you to not find out."

"Where is she?" Vert said, pushing himself to his feet.

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, Vert, you won't ever see her again. So start talking,"

"I want to know where she's at before I tell you _anything,_ Graymond." Vert stepped forward angrily.

"Too bad," Said Graymond, pulling out a small cell phone. "If you don't calm down... I can call my assistant, and she can _kill_ your girl if I tell her to do so."

Vert looked down; he was defeated. If he had ever let anything happen to Kara... it would not only be on his mind, but he would have to face her gang, her brother, and her uncle too.

"That's right," Said Graymond gently. "Now let's talk,"

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara hung limply in her shackles. The girl glared at her intensely, and if looks could kill, Kara would be long past dead.

"How do you feel, Miss Kara?" She asked, walking up to Kara and placing a perfectly manicured finger beneath her chin to lift her head to eye level.

"If you mean my arms? They went numb long ago. I would check to see if they were turning purple, but I can't seem to turn my head!" Kara replied, shouting into the girl's face. "But if you mean my pride and dignity... well, hanging here against my will hasn't really done much to hurt it. You're gonna have to do better than this, 'cause I ain't tellin' you anything!"

The blonde pulled away with disgust. "Well, we'll just have to do something about that, won't we?" She said, pulling out a tiny phone. She pressed a button, then to her ear. "Yeah, I got the same thing." The girl spun on her heel towards Kara after a couple minutes of conversation. "Hmm... fine," She finished, putting up the phone. "Well, well, it looks like your little boyfriend is giving us a hard time too."

Kara thought for a second. "Who?"

The blonde sighed. "Mr. Vert Wheeler doesn't seem to know a thing about your uncle _or_ what he's been hiding."

"Huh? Leave Vert out of this!"

"Right, like I would, he's _my _cousin anyway."

No wonder she looked so much like Trinity! "What's you name?" Kara asked, tugging at the metal cuffs.

Smiling, she walked to the wall a pressed on it. A small box popped out and opened, revealing a bunch of little red buttons. The girl pressed one and the cuffs that held Kara to the wall slid out, and Kara pressed her feet to the floor and pulled down, hoping to get leverage.

The girl laughed. "Don't bother; the only way you're getting out of those is with this key." She motioned to a small chip that hung around her neck. "But," She continued pressing another button. "That doesn't mean we can't have a little fun." The circular bands closed tighter on Kara's wrists, then disconnected from the wall. Kara fell face first and broke the fall by turning on her side and landing on her sore shoulders. She cried out in pain as she heard her shoulder crack. The metal bands that linked her wrists prevented her from doing anything about it, so she just laid on her back, moaning. Her arms were cold and had a purple hue about them, but they were still numb.

"My name is Corporal Serena Wheeler, and I was trained in Torture and Interrogation."

VVVVVVVVVV

Vert watched as Graymond hung up the phone. "I told you everything I know," He said quietly. "I told you everything I know, please don't hurt her."

Graymond stared at the blonde boy sitting on the floor. "Don't worry, I have a feeling you two will be reunited soon." He said with an evil grin. "In the meantime, someone wants to see you." He walked to the door and it slid open. There was a low mumbling as Graymond talked with somebody, then another man walked into the room.

"Vert?" He said.

"...Dad?"

VVVVVVVVVV

"Well, Miss Kara, how do you feel now?" Taunted Serena.

Kara never replied, because the metal cuffs that had held her wrists were sending about a hundred volts of electricity through her body.

"Did you know that to electrocute somebody," Serena went on. "You need 2000 volts of electricity." She pressed the electricity-button again, stopping the current. "You should tell me what I need to know before I'm forced to give you a heart attack; literally."

Kara closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. It didn't really hurt all that much... yet. 2000 volts was a lot of electricity, but she knew that by looking in Serena's eyes, she could tell that Serena would not hesitate to use more than that. Kara, though, couldn't bring herself to tell Serena what she knew about her uncle's experiments and so called "projects".

"Are you going to tell me?" Said Serena with a hint of joy in her voice.

"...Stop," Kara managed weakly.

"Stop what?"

"I... I can tell you,"

"Marvelous," Serena said, clapping her hands. She crouched next to Kara's body. "Now, what is the Equilateral Disk?"

**This Chapter came out fast, I know. actually, I don't know, I was just bored Reviewers...**

_**Kawaii: That's one interesting OneShot you have there... haha. What's with the 'coke' thing? I love Coke! better than pepsi, anyway Wings and I are tight, she's supposed to be sending me the next chapter soon. Stalking doesn't exactly freak me out... but my friend actually stares at this guy, and when he gets up, she gets up, and if you want to find her... find him first, and she's bound to be less than ten feet away. XD**_


	16. Reunited at Last?

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Man, it is so cold... my feet are numb. Now onto the story. ()**

Chapter Sixteen: Reunited at Last?

"She said, and I quote, 'Hey Mark, I'm talking a walk out to the Cliffside.'" Stated Mark after Trinity and Nolo had hunted him down.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing--well... she told me not to do anything stupid while she was gone."

"Oh," Said Trinity, rolling her eyes. "Figures,"

"Hey!" Objected Mark.

"Well, Mark, from what I heard, you do do some pretty stupid things."

"...I guess you're right."

"I know,"

"So are we gonna look for them?"

"If we're going to, we'd better before it gets dark... and that's in a couple hours."

"Right, let's get up a couple more people and walk out there."

"Who?" Asked Nolo, finally butting into the conversation.

"Well, Tyce could, 'cause he's noticed it already. And each of you can pick one person from each of your gangs... but make sure that you can trust them."

"Kurt," Nolo quipped.

"Um... Courtney, I guess," Said Trinity.

"Okay, then it's settled. We are moving out right away!" Mark declared with his index finger pointing to the heavens.

Trinity threw a glance at Nolo that had _man-he's-nuts_ written all over it.

VVVVVVVVVV

Vert was finally led by his father to another white room that had chairs scattered about it. Inside, there were 3 other people; two teenage boys and a girl. The girl had bleached the ends of her black hair and had almost navy-blue eyes. One of the boys had bright red hair and emerald eyes, and the other had sandy-brown hair and gray eyes.

"Vert," Said Major Wheeler, gently pushing Vert into the room. "Meet your new friends throughout your stay here. That's Remee," He said motioning to the girl, who gave them both hard looks. "And that's Andrew and Damian," He motioned first to the sandy-haired kid, then to the red-head. Both boys jumped up and walked over to the two Wheelers.

"Hi," They said in perfect unison.

"Boys," Started the Major, then noticing that Remee had walked over too. "_And_ Remee, this is my son, Vert,"

"Hi Vert," They said again in unison.

Vert turned to his father. "Where's Kara?" He asked.

"Oh, Kara? Tezla? She should be here shortly, unless..."

"Unless what?"

"Nothing,"

Just then there was a loud shout from the hallway and Vert's dad turned and ran down the hallway, leaving Vert alone in the doorway. He could hear his father shouting something, then silence. The door hissed as it closed, barely missing the back of his jacket.

"Come on, Vert!" Shouted Damian gleefully. "Tell us about yourself,"

"Yeah, Vert!" Echoed Andrew.

"Um..." Said Vert as he was dragged into the room. He saw Remee give him a momentary sympathetic look before her face went blank as it had been. "I don't really..."

Suddenly Damian and Andrew were arguing about something and Vert's arms were released. Vert rubbed the spots on his wrists where Damian and Andrew had made them turn red.

"So," Said a low female voice behind him.

Vert spun to see Remee sitting in one of the chairs. "Whoa, you scared me." He said quickly, sitting down across from the girl.

"How'd you get here?" She asked.

"I don't exactly know; one minute I was behind Kara, and the next, I was face down in the dirt."

Remee nodded slowly. "Who's this Kara girl? She your sister or something?"

"No..."

"Girlfriend?"

"...No,"

"Friend?"

"I guess, but she's the girl who stole our cars."

Remee chuckled. "Our?"

"Um... yeah, I'm in this gang... I guess,"

"You're not very out-going are you?"

"Well, I guess you could say that."

There was silence as the two stared at each other. The two boys continued to argue softly about something that they couldn't hear. The door hissed open; interrupting the boys' conversation. Kara was thrust into the room, followed by Vert's father and a girl who was strangely farmiliar to Vert.

"Trinity?" He said softly, standing up.

"No," objected Kara, her head twitching to get her long hair out of her face. "It's your long-dead cousin, Serena!" She shouted while pulling her hands out of the metal cuffs. There were dark-red circles burnt into her wrists where the electricity had entered and exited here body. She pulled her hair back into a sloppy pony-tail with a rubber band that she produced from her pocket.

Vert was silent as he gazed at his cousin. Something was seriously wrong with this picture, and he didn't really intend to stay long enough to find out what it was.

**Well... sorry it took so long, when I typed it the first time, something didn't sound right, so I typed an alternative chapter. That one fit quite a bit better than the one before it. Volleyball ends this month, so I will probably be able to write more.**

_**Kawaii: Obsessed might be too... tame a word for what she is. She's down-right SCARY sometimes. Kara and Vert... Vert and Kara... Wings and I have been trading stories about that for the longest time... unfortunately, none of them have to do with this story! **_

_**Wings: THE CALVARY IS COMING! yay! And, I did FINALLY get onto the acceleracers forum and read the stuff you sent me... and I only have three words to say: SEND. ME. MORE. I'm working on something that you might enjoy... expect it in your PM box soon...**_


	17. Irony

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: None today! **

Chapter Seventeen: Irony

"Okay, maggots!" Shouted Mark, who was now acting like a drill sergeant with his camouflage jacket and matching pants. "We are on a mission to find Captain Kara Tezla and Private Vert Wheeler."

Tyce laughed out loud. "Yes Sir!" He shouted back with a salute.

"Move out, soldiers!"

Trinity and Courtney snickered as they turned to walk out the door. Kurt and Nolo exchanged worried glances. Tyce just kept on laughing, well, until Mark came over and whacked him a good one.

The six of them all left the mansion not expecting what would happen next. Mark led the trek through the thick woods to the place that they called the Cliffside.

"Wow," said an amazed Trinity. "It's beautiful out here,"

"You got that right," agreed Kurt.

"Is that the military base that Kara was talking about?" Asked Courtney.

"Yeah," answered Tyce. "There's something weird going on there... kinda like that one Area 51 or whatever. There have been rumors going around about people going into there and never coming out."

"Really?"

"Actually, I don't know. I just made that up, but it sure seems like something like that could happen, doesn't it?"

Courtney stared at Tyce. "I guess so,"

"Hey, guys, I think something happened here!" Said Mark who was crouching behind a small stand of trees.

"That's extremely ironic," mentioned Tyce. Courtney laughed and walked over to where Mark was.

"Look," said Mark, pointing at large scuffle marks in the dirt. "It looks like there was a struggle."

"Ya think?" Said Trinity sarcastically.

"Maybe... even_ murder_," said Mark, his eyes growing wide as he looked at Trinity.

Tyce laughed again, but this time, he got whacked by Courtney who was standing beside him.

"Yeah, and it looks like someone got dragged that way," pointed out Nolo, his eyes following the drag marks down a small trail towards the base.

"More irony?" Tried Tyce, glancing at Courtney, who shrugged.

"Well, they're obviously not here are they?" Said Trinity, walking over the marks on the ground. "So let's go follow these... marks."

"But what if we get lost?" Asked Nolo.

"We won't," Mark said. "It's pretty easy to find this place again once you know where it is."

"Okay then, let's go!" Said Tyce, charging ahead down the path.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Serena?" Asked Vert quietly; this was way too weird. "...Serena?"

Serena's eyes went ice cold as her cousin's brain tried to make the connection.

"Vert," Major Wheeler started, but was silenced by a killer look from Kara, who now stood behind Vert.

"We gotta get out of here Vert," she whispered in his ear. "Soon,"

Vert glanced at the girl who was at his shoulder. She was right, and for some reason, he felt that she knew more than he did.

Damian and Andrew exchanged glances behind them. After a few moments, Andrew mustered up the courage to tap the girl in front of him on the shoulder.

Kara jumped slightly; she hadn't really noticed the two boys standing behind her. The dark-blonde haired one had come up and tapped her on the shoulder.

"What?" She hissed.

"Are you Kara?" He hissed back.

"Yes, why?"

"Just... wondering," Andrew whispered, backing off a little. She looked mad at the moment, and he didn't feel like getting a broken nose, which is what looked like she felt like doing.

Remee stared at Kara, wanting their eyes to meet. Remee had always been one to guess a person's personality by looking at their eyes. Andrew had just been talking to her, and he looked scared. Kara glanced around the room, first at Damian then at herself. Remee found the other girl's eyes unreadable; there was no emotion radiating from any part of Kara's body. She felt herself tense up involuntarily, as if one look from Kara had put her brain on full alert.

"Don't even think about escaping, Vert," said Serena coldly. "You'll never make it out of here alive."

"But when our friends find out we're missing, they'll come looking for us."

"Right, but they'll never make it to you."

"What do you mean?"

"We have this place bugged; cameras, mikes, mines, motion detectors, guards... you name it, most likely, we got it."

Vert cursed mentally, they were stuck here for who knows how long, and from the sound of it, Kara knew it too.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Man, how long does it take to get down here?" Asked Kurt, who was sweating.

"I don't know that, I've never been down this far before." Replied Mark.

"I think we should all get something to protect ourselves." Came the random thought from Tyce, who was fingering a large stick about the width of a baseball bat.

"Why? It's the United States Military, they're supposed to be protecting us, not us protecting us!" Exclaimed Trinity.

"I just think there's something weird about having a base with all this land around it... it seems a little strange to me. Anyway, it's just a precaution."

Trinity gave Tyce a look. "Whatever,"

They hiked for what seemed like forever until they reached a gate that seemed like it was, for the most part, unguarded.

"Come on!" Said Mark, sprinting out into the open.

"No!" Said Trinity pulling him back. "Look!" She pointed to two mounted machine guns above the gate. They were pretty big, but they were also small enough to not be seen in a glance.

"I guess this isn't going to be as easy as I thought," said Mark.

**Okay... chapter finally complete. There's not much to say!**

_**Kawaii: ...Teku fetish...hmmm...**_

_**Wings: The ages... approx. are Remee; 19 years, Andrew; 17 years, and Damian; 16 years. Mark is modeled after a good friend of mine, so I use some of his actions and words. But now, I'm in a 'writing' phase because of my Sci-Fi LA story... so I had to type this chapter up.**_

_**Firedragon: Thanks for the review. No, we are not writing together… but we do share characters. I hope that answered your question**_


	18. Potatoes!

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. I also do not own the lyrics to the songs in this chapter--they belong to Queen and Smash Mouth and P.O.D. and Thousand Foot Krutch.**

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: This chapter might seem a little strange, but I had a weird moment today. Sorry it took so long to update! And I recomend the movie The Benchwarmers for a good laugh, especially if you like guys who think the sun is a monster and eat suntan lotion, and if you like the eighties and Star Wars movies.**

Chapter Eighteen: Potatoes!

"Oh, gosh," managed Nolo, right before he fell over the other side of the fence, landing not-so-nicely on the ground approximately twelve below him.

"My turn," volunteered Trinity. She ran up to the fence and locked her fingers around the metal links. Within minutes, she had made it over the top and was making her way back down.

The fence around military base had not been electric, as it turned out, but, thanks to Tyce's paranoia, they had broken into the small security building and turned off the motion detecting machine guns.

"I still can't believe you brought a knife with you." Said Mark, following Tyce up to the fence.

"What's wrong with that?" Countered the black-haired boy, who had started his way up.

"I don't know... it's just weird. We were just 'sposed to be looking for Kara and Vert, but I never expected to be breaking into a military base!"

"Better to be safe than sorry,"

"Well--well... yeah," started Mark, not wanting to admit that Tyce was right. He started up the fence as soon as Tyce had swung himself over. They would have to hike through the woods to the gray-colored building ahead.

"How do we know that Vert and Kara are even here?" Asked Trinity as Mark finished his climb and jumped off.

"The tracks lead here... so it's a pretty good guess."

"But what if they aren't here? Then we're breaking into a national military base for nothing. Basically, if your 'pretty good guess' is wrong, then we're dead, and I'd rather not be dead."

"Then don't die," quipped Kurt. Trinity glared daggers at him.

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara and Vert sat in the white room with Remee, Damian, and Andrew. Once they had all been introduced, there had been a long awkward silence.

"Do you like potatoes?" Asked Andrew randomly.

"Huh?" Came the reply from Kara. "Who are you talking to?"

"Um... I don't know, I was just... bored."

"Oh, well, potatoes?"

"Yup,"

"I like them... I guess,"

"That's nice, me too,"

"Where is this conversation going?" Remee moaned.

"Nowhere," mumbled Vert.

"It is too going somewhere!" Argued Damian. "I like potatoes too! I wish we could eat potatoes right now!"

"Uh..." Kara said; looking around nervously.

Vert looked at the two girls who were now mentally banging their heads against the table, and physically... well, they were expressionless.

"Potatoes, potatoes!" Screamed Andrew.

"Potatoes and bologna!" Screamed Damian.

"Mustard and bologna!" Screamed Andrew.

"Mustard and... pizza!" Screamed Damian.

"Will you just shut up!" Screamed Vert, jumping to his feet.

The room fell silent; being alone in a room with these two would drive them up the wall. Literally... and probably out the door, too.

VVVVVVVVVV

Meanwhile, the rescue groupies weren't doing any better.

"What's that?" Asked Nolo, pointing to something shiny that was sticking up out of the ground by his feet.

"What?" Mark walked over to where Nolo was standing and followed his finger to the ground. "Oh--!"

"It's a land-mine!" Shouted Tyce; grabbing Nolo's arm and pulling him away from the small piece of plastic.

"We have to watch out from now on where we step, because there could be mines anywhere and everywhere... and I have no doubt that they probably have cameras everywhere, too."

"No," Trinity gasped sarcastically, "really? I would think a place like this would be totally not being watched by--"

"Okay, Trin, we get the point." Retorted Courtney. "It was bad enough that Nolo could have gotten his leg blown off by a mine. You don't need to add any sarcasm."

"Fine," Trinity said; rolling her eyes. "Be that way,"

"I will," Courtney replied with a grin.

Mark looked from person to person with an annoyed look on his face. "O-kay, now that we got that over with, can we get on with this, please? We have people to save, you know, and we don't know if they're okay or not."

"Sir, yes Sir!" Acknowledged Tyce, his hand flying to his forehead in a salute.

"Tyce!" Kurt complained.

"Tyce!" Trinity laughed in unison. This was going to be a long trip.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Poh-tay-toes!" Whispered Damian in a possessed-sounding voice.

"You can cut it out now, Damian; I don't think they're bringing us any food." Andrew said; his arms wrapped around his knees.

Damian glared at Andrew. "A boy can still wish, can't he?"

"Well then, wish silently, because if you mention any more food aloud, then I'm going to strangle you... personally." Kara growled.

Damian's eyes glanced at Kara, then back at her again. She had her eyes closed and her legs were crossed Indian-style while she leaned up against one of the four walls. Kara wasn't scary, she was just intimidating; the way she held herself, anyway. Damian was intimidated, and he hoped that the Silencerz were, too, because he wanted to get out of there soon.

"Dum, dum, dum... another one bites the dust!" Sang Andrew quietly, trying to take his mind off of what was going on.

Kara opened one eye and gazed at him. "Another song, please," she said gently.

Andrew swallowed and tried again. "Somebody once told me the world was going to roll me/I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed/she was lookin' kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an "L" on her forehead--"

"Next," Kara grinned.

"We are, we are... the youth of the nation... we are, we are... the youth of the nation. We are, we are... the youth of the nation... we are, we are... the youth of the nation."

"Okay, one more try, Andrew... do you know the song Absolute by Thousand Foot Krutch?"

"...No,"

"Well, then, I'll sing it, because I really need something familiar." She looked at Andrew. "No offense, of course,"

Andrew nodded as Kara started to hum; then to sing.

_"I've tried to hide it but I can't sleep at night._

_Everything I think about makes me feel like a version of myself._

_They tell their lies, and we are synchronized._

_Look to the skies, because it's almost over._

_We want the truth, give us the absolute._

_We need your help, 'cause we got nothing left to loose._

_I know we've tried this thing a million times,_

_but put me out 'cause I won't fight you."_

Kara stopped after the first verse and chorus; the silence around her enveloping everyone in the room. The lights finally seemed to dim after a while and go out. Soon, they were all sleeping.

**There you go; Kara finishing out the chapter with a calming song that has everything to do with what they want: the truth. I'm so sorry that this has taken me so long!**

**To my reviewers!**

_**Firedragon: Thanks!**_

_**Kawaii: Well, if you're on break, then you should update. I'm actually on Spring Break right now... but we start school back up on Monday No, Trinity isn't a spy. And I like your stupid reviews! I just wrote an almost pointless chapter about food! Then I caught myself and put something else in there! Haha!**_

_**Wings: I finally updated! YAY! And I think we should work on a story together! That sounds fun! As for Kara singing... I had a weird bone in me today... and last night this is probably why I had a weird bone I had a sleepover with my friends and I and we watched King Kong, Pirates of the Caribbean, and School of Rock. Oh, and I went and saw the Benchwarmers... but I already mentioned that.**_


	19. Awesome Doors and Much More!

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. **

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: I am sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I went through a King Kong phase and I started a story for that and I was so excited... well, here's the chapter. I hope you like. OH! and Wings and I have started the Complexity of Revenge, which includes Trinity and Kara and them, but has absolutely nothing to do with our two stories other than that. Read! Read I say! If you like our stories, then you will like that one! I promise!**

Chapter Nineteen: Awesome Doors and Much More!

"Mark!" Tyce ran up beside his friend. "Trinity found a way through the mines and the cameras to the door!"

"Great,"

"We better go now,"

"We will,"

Tyce sighed as he watched Mark rise to his feet slowly. "Now, Mark,"

Mark looked Tyce in the eye. "I'm coming,"

Tyce wiped a layer of sweat off of his forehead. They were in the mountains--it shouldn't be this hot! They both walked towards where Trinity was crouching.

"Nolo, Kurt, and Courtney have already made it across." She said; barely acknowledging their presence. "When I say go, run along the wall to the end and duck in the doorway where they're waiting."

"How--"

"Go!"

Mark yelped and ran along the wall; one hand brushing the gray concrete on his left. Trinity never even glanced at him because her eyes were focused on the cameras that swung slowly over the landscape.

"Ready?" She asked Tyce. Before he could reply, she shoved him along the wall. His hand caught on the edge and his face almost hit the wall. He soon was across and in the doorway, closely followed by Trinity.

"Now what?" Asked Kurt.

"Now, we break down this door."

"How?" Asked Mark. "There's barely enough room for us to stand, much less try and break down a door!"

"Well," Trinity said, "I think we're going to have to all look for some kind of device or keyhole. I don't think the Silencerz are going to pick their own locks to get into their own building. That would be pretty stupid."

"What's this?" Asked Tyce; bending over to the discomfort of the others.

"No, Tyce--!" Trinity started, but never got to finish her sentence. They all tumbled in the door as it slid open with a futuristic hiss.

To Trinity's surprise, no alarm went off or guards came to capture them.

"What was that, Tyce?" Asked Courtney, taking his hand as he pulled her up.

"I dunno," he shrugged as the door slid back shut. "But that door is pretty awesome."

Mark gave his companion a double take. "Tyce? 'The door is pretty awesome'? What kind of statement is that?"

"Well, it is!" Whined Tyce. "I mean, it has the air lock-tight thingy and it hisses! It's like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars! It's cool!"

"And only you would know that, Tyce," said Trinity; rolling her eyes. "Only you,"

Tyce slumped. "Can we get off the topic of me now? Where are we supposed to go? Does anybody know what we're doing?"

Everyone exchanged glances and slight shrugs.

"That's what I thought," mumbled Tyce.

"Well, there's only one way to go from here," Nolo interrupted. "That way," he nodded down the dimly lit corridor.

"Yup, he's right," Trinity admitted. "So, let's go!"

VVVVVVVVVV

Remee awoke to a slight tension in her chest. Her eyes blinked lazily as she tried to raise her head off of something warm, which she assumed was either Damian or Andrew. It felt like something was holding her chest so that only a little air could get through.

She had heard that asthma was similar to this; a tight constricting of the chest and lungs that prevented breathing, but she had never had it before. And the Silencerz would have never taken her if she had asthma.

Her head felt like it was full of heavy fog, so much so that it weighed her head down. Remee's vision was also blurry, and she could barely make out an empty chair through the darkness in front of her.

Remee tried to speak, but found that her mouth wouldn't move and her tongue was like lead. She could feel something in her brain that reminded her of a computer; so perfect in every way, not able to take an incorrect answer, and responding only to specific commands. The teenager felt as if she had to tell her eyes to blink, or her eyes would dry. She felt compelled to tell her lungs to take breaths of air every few seconds to keep from falling asleep once more.

She wanted to tell her hands to rub her eyes, but they seemed out of the reach of her brain power. In other words, she felt helpless.

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara's neck hurt. She didn't know how she had fallen asleep on the hard, cold, floor, but she did some way or another. She reached up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

The room was still almost completely dark, save for the small emergency light above the doorway. But Kara could immediately that something was horribly wrong. After a couple seconds of analyzing her surroundings, she concluded that whatever it was must not be so bad.

Kara yawned, or tried to yawn, at least, but found that she could not get all the usual air into her lungs. She panicked for a split second, bursting into a fit of loud and agitated wheezing. She forced herself to calm down and think. Her lungs took in less and less air until she could take a bigger breath without straining herself.

Something, she thought, is wrong here. What is it? Why can't I take a deep breath? What's happening?

**There ya go. It was a wee bit shorter than the previous chapter, but I thought it would be a good place to stop. giggles I know you guys just absolutely love cliffies.**

**To the Reviewers!**

_**wbwjcmichael: I don't know. I like mine baked or mashed, but I do think that Damian likes his potatoes as grease-soaked french fries! I agree about the food-annoying-Vert part. :D**_

_**firedragon: Yes, yes, he is! I love crazy!**_

_**Kawaii: I thought I reviewed! I'll check. If I haven't reviewed, I'll review. I promise!**_

_**Wings: I update now you update back! the lies continue to crumble, of course! I love random. My guy friend called me Mrs. Randomness when I wrote him a note.**_

_**The Phoenix dies: Uh... Boredom? And your English is NOT that bad. I know some guys whose fluent language is English that write worse than you!**_


	20. The Equilateral Disk

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. **

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: I finally had an ingenious idea hit me! FINALLY! coughs Sorry if it's a little weird, but it's something.**

Chapter Twenty: The Equilateral Disk

Total darkness surrounded the teens as they all woke up, one by one. Once every one of them was awake and gasping for breath, the intercom crackled to life.

_"Might I mention that gasping will do you no good at this moment in time."_ Said the female voice. _"Actually, I would try and calm yourselves before you die."_ There was a long pause and all that could be heard was the heavy breathing of the people contained in the room.

_"That's it," _the voice seethed,_ "save your breath; because if you're not careful, you could run out."_

"Wha...?" Gasped Andrew, "our air supply!"

_"That's right, my smart boy; your air supply is dwindling... and if you're cautious, it may last you quite a while. But the way you're going now, it will only be a matter of time. A matter of time that, in actuality, will only last a little more than an hour. If you happen to survive that long, then _maybe_ we'll consider giving you hardy children some air."_ The speaker clicked out and there was silence.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Hey," smirked Trinity; elbowing Tyce in the ribs.

"Ow, what?"

"Somebody call Yoda, I think he wants his wookie back." She said; motioning ahead of her at Mark.

"What did you say!" Shouted Mark, turning around to look at his friend, who was attempting to stifle a laugh, and the Wheeler girl, who was smiling innocently.

"Nothing,"

"I do NOT look like Chubaka!"

"I never said you did,"

"You said I was a wookie!"

"I never said that _you_ were a wookie, Mark."

"Yes, you did,"

"Prove it,"

"Well... well, you did say it!"

"Prove it,"

"No!"

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Why?"

"Be_cause_,"

"Will you two just shut up?" Said Kurt loudly. "You guys sound like children or something! We have an objective here, and it would be nice if you guys would focus on it!"

Both Mark and Trinity looked at Kurt in amazement. "Did you just make sense?" Gawked Mark.

A blank look returned to Kurt's face and he smiled slightly. "It worked,"

Suddenly, a wail reached their ears and was getting louder by the second. All six of the rescuers clutched their ears as the siren passed over their head in the form of a small speaker. By the time the siren had passed, the sound of stopping feet had filled the hallway and the group's ringing ears.

"They know we're here!" Said Courtney as Mark turned on his heel and ran away from the footsteps. Trinity was right behind him, directing him all the way.

"There should be a passage way up here," she said as they turned a corner. Mark, who was first, unfortunately, ran right into a wall.

Trinity stopped the group just in time to keep them from doing the same. "Whoops, I meant _up_ Mark," she pointed upward to reveal an almost invisible white panel in the ceiling.

"Now you tell me," he muttered; rubbing his nose, which had leaked a small amount of blood by now. Trinity jumped up and expertly knocked the panel loose. Next she kneeled down and motioned for Nolo to step on her knee and get up into the ceiling.

Nolo just gave her a funny look. Kurt stepped in front of him and launched himself up. Nolo finally got the idea and did the same. Kurt poked his head out just as Courtney was pushing herself up, hitting him square in the face. Courtney came crashing back down, and Kurt drew back with a cry of pain.

Trinity smothered a laugh then disguised it with a more urgent, serious look. "Come on! They're almost here!"

Tyce jumped up, followed by Mark, then Courtney. Trinity sprang up, catching the side of the hole and started to pull herself up, but she was too late. The Silencerz workers that had been chasing them had caught up and had seen her.

"Halt!" He called, but Trinity wasn't going to stop. She continued to climb up into the ceiling. He grabbed her leg, almost succeeding in pulling her down, but he hadn't been expecting the blonde girl to kick him in the helmet. The Silencerz guy stumbled backward into his friends, allowing Trinity to pull herself up into the small air duct. She slid past all of her friends to the front of the group and started leading them through the maze of metal tunnels.

VVVVVVVVVV

Kara made her way on her hands and knees across the room to the chairs and pulled herself up onto one. She shot a dirty look at the camera. Curse Serena, curse Graymond, and curse all the Silencerz! They were the reason she was here! Her brain fired off thought after angry thought, creating reasons for her stupidity.

_It was Vert's fault,_ her mind whispered; _he was the one that he Silencerz were after. _He_ must be in cohorts with his cousin! They just want you to get to your uncle! _

Kara shook her head, "Vert would never do that, he's not like that," she whispered to herself.

_But you broke your promise to your uncle, Kara, you promised you would never tell a single soul about the Equilateral Disk, and now the Silencerz Agency knows! They know where your uncle lives, they will kill him!_

"What I told them is of no consequence. Uncle Peter will never tell where he hid it,"

_Exactly, but your brother might. Both your brothers are weak,_

"No,"

_Both of them would tell before they died,_

"No,"

_Both of them would give up the secret of the Disk, Kara, and you know it._

Kara's eyes snapped shut. She was realizing the truth. She was realizing the consequences of her actions. True, she didn't tell where the Equilateral Disk was, but if one of her brothers told, they would know.

The Equilateral Disk was an invention of her uncle's. Something he invented after Luke died. It was supposed to be something like a tracking device, undetectable under any circumstance, which gave many abilities to the bearer. It was around the size of a pin tip and was hidden in the nerves in the back of her neck. Both her other brothers had one too, and the only way to extract it was to kill the bearer.

It was inserted by injection--a very painful process--and activated by a special computer inside her uncle's mansion. When activated, it attached microscopic wires to each of the different nerves, allowing the bearer to obtain almost supernatural powers. Inhuman speed, stamina, and reflexes were the result, but if used for too long at once, the user's body would become adapted to it and when the Disk was deactivated, it could cause a heart attack. The prolonged use and the sudden deactivation would leave extra adrenaline in the bloodstream and the heart would go into shock. Because of this, if you activated it for an extended period of time, you couldn't deactivate it and live.

Her uncle's original intention for this tiny machine was to sell it for a couple hundred million to countries who wished to have it. The normal human body would become obsolete with this invention, and her uncle would be able to multiply his fortune by hundreds. There were only three operational at the moment, the three that were inside her and her brothers. They had never been activated, though.

If Kara had some way to activate it now, she would, without question. The oxygen was slowing coming back into the room, and soon everyone be awake again.

VVVVVVVVVV

"No," Kara's voice hissed. Remee's eyes opened just enough to see the brunette's form slumped in a chair.

_"Agent 13,"_ a male mechanical voice said inside Remee's head. _"You are ordered to attack at sixteen-hundred hours today. You are ordered to acquire the Equilateral Disk."_

Remee mentally acknowledged the voice. Her blue eyes suddenly obtained small dark green flecks. She didn't even feel sorry for the four humans in the room. In fact, she did not feel at all.

**Man! I'm sorry I haven't updated in for-ever, but I hope you'll forgive me! To my ever-loyal reviewers!**

_**firedragon: Thank you!**_

_**Kawaii: I hope you had a great time in India! I don't drink coffee, so I don't exactly know what you were feeling when you wrote that review so early in the morning! lol. I like weird reviews! I love random stuff! Go ahead and keep being weird! I don't mind!**_


	21. The Battle of Disk

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. **

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Ah! Sorry this has been taking me forever. It's been a while since I've updated any of my stories. **

Chapter Twenty-One: The Battle of Disk

"Serena," Admiral Graymond sat at his desk, a look of loathe masking his face, his voice had lowered into one of anger. "You _did_ find out where the Equilateral Disk was hidden, right?"

Serena Wheeler sat across from him, responding to his anger with a slow blink. "No sir," she tensed, fearing that her superior would explode.

Graymond's hand came down on the white metal of his desk with a loud _SMACK_, causing Serena to flinch, and for a moment, the Admiral's face contorted to show his rage. "Well," he said, the serious mask falling back over his face. "I would suggest you find out before somebody else finds out about it."

"Yes sir," Serena replied.

"You are dismissed,"

Serena rose from her seat and exited the room quickly. If it was one thing she was scared of, it was the Admiral. She moved through the maze of hallways to the room that held the five prisoners. Serena pulled her ID card out of her jacket and ran it through the almost invisible line on the right side of the doorway. There was a beep of confirmation before the door silently slid open. The light from the hallway fell on a single figure sitting lotus-style in the middle of the room. Remee.

The blonde girl stepped inside, allowing the door to close behind her. Remee's hair hung in her face, and the only movement in the whole was Serena's uncomfortable shifting from one foot to the other. Something about this girl made her extremely uneasy.

Serena walked soundlessly across the floor to where Kara was slumped in a chair. She reached out and gently grasped the girl's long hair. Just as she was about to clamp her hand over her mouth, somebody spoke.

"Why are you here, Agent Wheeler?" a female voice with a slightly mechanical tone to it asked.

Serena twitched and turned slowly toward the bronze-skinned girl that sat in the middle of the room. Remee turned her head in the direction of Serena; her eyes never opening.

A chill ran up the blonde's spine. What was happening? She wasn't usually like this; she was actually scared. Serena gritted her teeth and pushed the thought out of her head.

"Shove it, Remee," she sneered.

"I'm sorry, Serena," Remee's eyes shot open, piercing Serena's own with toxic green hues. A neon green tear ran down from her eye and down her face, eating away at the skin and revealing dark green metal.

Serena couldn't resist the urge to inhale sharply. Remee was a drone. Within a split second, the drone-girl was on her feet in a crouch. Serena had to let go of Kara if she was going to defend herself.

"You'll never have the Equilateral Disk, Silencerz Agent Serena Wheeler, or any human for that matter." the human-like tone was now gone from Remee's voice.

"What... who are you working for?" Serena spat, letting go of Kara and taking a step back.

"You already know, unfortunately."

"Unfortunately?" Serena gave a smirk. "I think you're the unfortunate one."

"Oh really," with one swift move, she slid across the floor, her hand closed into a fist and swinging toward Serena's stomach. Serena barely caught with one of her own hands before it hit, jarring her arm. Another punch came in from the side, aiming for the blonde's temple, but Serena managed to dodge that one. As she ducked, she had misjudged Remee's motive in the second attack and was faced with a knee... literally.

Remee chuckled as Serena fell backward, clutching her face. She glanced at Kara's still motionless body to her left; should she finish Serena, or go for the Disk? Looking back at her opponent, who lay curled up on the floor in front of her, she decided that a little workout wouldn't hurt.

Every breath racked Serena Wheeler's body and the pain numbed her brain. She hadn't been hit like this since she first started training. The feeling was strange, and through the pain she felt compelled to get up and retaliate. Slowly, she pushed herself up on all fours, then to her feet. Dark red blood was spread across the floor where she had hit the ground, and more covered her silver uniform. The metallic taste of it filled her mouth and spilled onto her lips from cuts made by her teeth on the inside.

"You wish to die?" Remee seethed, turning toward her.

"No," Serena said, dropping down into another stance.

"Hah," Remee lashed out with another punch, but it never connected. Serena seemed to flow around it, turning in a tight circle and catching Remee under the chin with the heel of her palm. It was a move meant to break the jaw, but it didn't even look as if it phased the Drone-girl. Instead, Remee took a step back and swung at her opponent with a perfect roundhouse kick. It never connected.

The blonde ducked in and ran forward, crushing Remee against the wall in what looked like a football block. Again, the Drone wasn't hurt. The black-haired girl laughed and gave Serena a florescent-green smile. Any of these moves might have killed an ordinary person.

Yet another blonde was coming to in the white room. Vert Wheeler was recovering from the lack of oxygen. He was completely taken off-guard by seeing his cousin in the room. Even more so seeing her trying to shoulder Remee into the wall. After a couple seconds of pure shock, his voice arrived. "Serena!"

Both girls, or should I say, the girl and the drone, looked over at the teenager.

As soon as Vert saw Remee, his head started spinning. What was happening here? He was soon wishing he had stayed unconscious.

**Again, I apologize for not updating. Thank you Kawaii, firedragon, Sabrielle X for reviewing. I seriously appreciate it.**


	22. A Drone Walks Into a Bar

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. **

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Hey peeps! I got my old reviewers back! Yeeeeah! Longer chapter!**

Chapter Twenty-Two: A Drone Walks Into a Bar...

Vert glanced around the room; both Andrew and Damian were curled up on the floor a couple feet away, their chests moving up and down as they slowly drew each breath. Kara sat slumped awkwardly in the chair just in front of him; a divider between his cousin and himself. He finally decided on an action.

"Look," he admitted, rising to his feet, "I don't know what's going on here, but--"

"Vert! Take Kara... get out!" Serena grunted, trying her hardest to keep Remee against the wall. "You have got to get out of here!"

Shocked, Vert moved toward the motionless brunette in the chair. This was the first time in a long time that he had seen her actually concerned for him. Hoisting Kara over his shoulder, he realized a major problem. "Serena, the door,"

Finding a weakness, Remee shoved Serena back, causing her to fly across the room.

"Don't move, Vert," Remee said, her voice returning to its normal state. "She's trying to trick you."

Serena moaned as she fell against the opposite wall. Vert's eyes flicked from his cousin to the darker-skinned girl; something definitely wasn't right here. He felt Kara's breathing pattern change; she was waking up.

"What's going on?" she whispered hoarsely, loud enough for only Vert to hear.

"Serena, are you okay? What's wrong with Remee?" Vert said, hoping Kara would catch his drift. Remee, on the other hand, looked offended.

"Vert, there's nothing wrong with me." Remee said, smiling gently and taking a step toward him.

"Go, Vert," Serena moaned as the door opened with the hiss of compressed air.

Vert took a step back. If it was up to him, he would have already been gone.

VVVVVVVVVV

"Ouch!" Mark cursed as his head hit the top of the air vent for the hundredth time. "Do you even know where we're going, Trinity?"

"Don't insult me," Trinity countered. "I know exactly where I'm going."

"Bull," Tyce half-shouted around Mark. "I don't believe you. The only way you could know your way around here is if you've done it a million times."

Kurt, who was behind Tyce, shot a worried look back to Nolo. Nolo shrugged, but he knew what Kurt was getting at, and it worried him a little, too.

"How's your nose, Kurt?" Courtney asked from behind Nolo.

"It's not bleeding anymore," Kurt replied, unconsciously touching the tip of his nose. "But it still hurts,"

"Where are we going anyway?" Mark asked, totally ignoring Kurt.

"Well," Trinity started, "We need to find where they're holding Vert and Kara, so I guess we're going to the empty rooms toward the east end."

"Empty rooms? East end?" Mark asked.

Trinity suddenly realized she'd said too much.

"Trinity," Tyce said warily.

"I..."

"You... you're leading us into a trap, aren't you!" Mark exclaimed.

Trinity tried to shush him, "Mark! Shut up! They'll hear you!"

"Yeah, and that's exactly what you want, right? I bet you were in on this whole thing!"

"No! No, I am not! I don't work for the Silencerz!"

There was silence. "We never said anything about the Silencerz, Trinity." Mark whispered, his eyes narrowing.

"I say we take her hostage," Tyce sneered.

Mark turned with a look of disbelief to his friend. "Thanks for ruining the perfect action-movie moment, pal! She's already got us where she wants us!"

"No, I don't," Trinity interrupted.

"Then--" Mark turned back to her suddenly, hitting his head on the top of the vent again. It was too much for the vent to handle. There was a loud creak, and then the middle of the metal tunnel gave. Tyce and Kurt were the first ones to fall out of the vent before the whole thing tilted, and the other four tumbled out into the blinding-white hallway. Unfortunately, they were smashed at the bottom of the pile.

There was a long moment of moaning and untangling before they became organized again. The hallway seemed to stretch on for a lifetime, and it was empty, with the exception of the open door less than a hundred yards away.

VVVVVVVVVV

A loud clamor in the hallway distracted Remee enough for Vert to believe that he could get out. Remee had looked over her right shoulder, so he went left. Unfortunately, Remee realized what was happening and managed to grab Vert's jacket with a vice-like grip as he ran by. He fell forward, and Kara flew off his shoulder, tumbling once before landing on all fours. She looked back at Vert, who had been pulled up by Remee and was now dangling from the front of his shirt.

"Run!" Vert commanded. "I don't know what she wants, but run, Kara!"

Kara was torn as she pushed herself to her feet, woozy from being held upside-down. If she ran, Vert might get hurt. If she stayed, she might be able to save both of them, but there was an equally threatening chance that they might both get killed. A whole bunch of thoughts rushed through her head at once, but none stood out as much as the memories.

"Kara?" someone yelled from behind her.

"Vert!" another voice screamed.

It was Mark, and he had brought Trinity. Without another thought, Kara executed a perfect running tackle. Her brother would have been proud, but the worst part of it was that now she was in the reach of the girl she feared most. Kara suddenly felt stupid. Vert had been dropped, but she was now in more danger than ever before.

Remee cackled, "You will give me the Equilateral Disk, Kara Tezla."

"Or what?" Kara spat back, scrambling out of Remee's reach for the moment, placing her back against the wall and trying to prolong the inevitable.

"Or this," Trinity seemed to come out of nowhere and smashed Remee's temple with what looked like a metal bar. It was a perfect swing and Remee was knocked to the ground. Trinity straddled the drone and proceeded to shove the end of the pole right between her eyes. There was a mechanical scream, then several crackling noises as the electricity discharged up the bar and disappeared. The blonde helped Kara up.

"They w-w-w-will find you, K-K-Kara T-T-Tezla... long live Ka-a-a..." Remee said, her voice broken up by mechanical twitches, finally dying with a low whine. A final look of horror stuck on her face.

"Come on, it's time to go back now, Kar," Trinity gently guided the brunette back toward the door. Vert was already there, an unconscious Andrew on his back. Damian was slumped over Kurt's shoulder.

"What about Serena?" Kara asked.

"The Silencerz will find her and take care of her, don't worry." Vert replied. "Now how do you get out of this place?"

Trinity took the lead and the rest followed silently as they made it back to the door they came in. Mark was still skeptical, but he had just watched as Trinity saved his boss. He wasn't about to start questioning her now.

They made it back to the woods without any other incidents, with the exception of Tyce getting hit in the face by a stray branch. Andrew and Damian woke up while they were making their way through the woods to the mansion, and started singing "The Wicked Witch is Dead" from the _Wizard of Oz_, celebrating the defeat of a drone.

Now they just had to face the Doctor himself.

**Yup, only one more chapter! Gosh, this is almost over! Maybe I'll have some kind of sequel. Well, that'll be after I finish writing all my other stories. teeheehee!**

_**Trin: Hey, ya! When are you going to update your story! Don't you have an account at the Accelepedia? I'll have to check on that... How's the move goin'? Trinity to the rescue!**_

_**Kawaii: You make me laugh. Seriously.**_

_**Sabrielle: Oh, I'm sorry! I'm glad you didn't see it coming, but... okay, fine. If I do a sequel, I might have an appearance by Remee just for you! But please don't cry...**_


	23. Tricks are for Drones

**The Art of Stealing Cars by Kara Tezla**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the Acceleracers Characters. although I wish I did And I do not own Trinity Wheeler and Co., those belong to Wings of Speed. **

**Summary: The Teku and the Metal Maniacs go to LA to race, but what happens when their cars start disappearing?**

**Author's Note: Wah, last chapter. There will be a sequel. Can guarantee that! Yuppers! Well, goodbye to you all for now... I encourage updating so I can review for you!**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Tricks are for Drones

"Where have you been?" Kara winced as her Uncle Peter Tezla shouted.

"I... can I go now?"

He had been there waiting for her when she and the other's had arrived. Apparently, Alex had become "concerned" when his sister, four guys and two other girls hadn't come back for a couple days. She cursed her brother. Uncle Peter would have never found out if he hadn't had said anything.

"No, you can't," Tezla said sternly. "First, you disappear with a guy I don't even know, then six of your friends disappear looking for you."

Great, now he was playing the role of his brother and Kara's dad.

"What would your father say?"

"Um,"

"That's right,"

There was an awkward silence.

"Can I--"

"Go! Go already! I obviously can't stop you."

Kara backed out of his office slowly, then took off down the hallway. She was surprised she wasn't in more trouble, but then again, she wasn't going to object to his punishment.

"Kara!" the brunette's name was called from a room off to her right.

She skidded to a stop and found her way to the open door. Alex sat inside on the bed, smirking at her.

"Yes, my idiotic brother?"

"I hear you got your license taken away for a month."

"No thanks to you! I can't even go in the car garage!"

"Hah! Thanks to me, more likely,"

"You were _trying_ to get me in trouble!"

"Think of it as a favor,"

"What kind of favor? What kind of brother are you?"

"A younger one, as you always point out, and I think this'll be good for you."

"Why? I have nothing to do all day!"

"I could always ask Uncle Peter to extend the length of the grounding... or even get him to give you something to do in your spare time."

Kara saw no point in continuing the argument, so she walked away.

"No comment?" Alex called back, leaning out the door.

"No comment, this!" Kara spun and ran toward her brother, who stupidly ran off ahead of her down the hallway, screaming like a girl. They ran down several hallways before they hit the living room, where they circled around the couch several times.

"Ha-ha-haha-ha! You can't catch me!" Alex teased, childishly sticking out his tongue.

"Keep your forked tongue behind your teeth, snake." Kara snarled, perfectly quoting Gandalf from _Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers_.

"Ooo, somebody's feisty,"

"You have no idea," Kara leaped over the couch, her outstretched hand brushing against the fabric of his shirt. Stumbling, she screamed, "I'll get you!"

"Eh, I don't think so." Alex ran through the doorway and disappeared. Kara regained her balance and rocketed through the door. Save the poor, unfortunate soul that stood on the other side.

"Oof!" Kara landed, although not quite as hard as the person beneath her.

"Kara!" Vert gasped, "You're really heavy!"

Smiling, Kara rolled to the side. "Sorry,"

"Not to mention you running into me..."

Kara stood and looked down at the blonde. "I... am... sorry,"

"You... said... that... already,"

"I know," Kara helped him up.

"What ever happened to 'no running in the house'?"

"You don't have a younger sibling who rats on you... you don't even have a younger sibling!"

"Right, and he's the blame for all your problems."

"Exactly! Finally, somebody who gets it."

The two strolled down the hallway, chatting comfortably. Kara's predicament completely forgotten by everybody except for the small, pin-tip camera that watched them from the ceiling.

"Little Kara Tezla, happy and content to her heart's desire, until the big bad wolf comes and eats the grandma..." mechanical fingers walked across a black desk, squeaking like tiny mice. The human-like voice echoed in the dark room, only to be heard by ears that ignored everything except orders. The half-human face twisted into a maniacal grin. "Silly humans, tricks are for drones... and drones only." A choppy cackle ending this one-way conversation. The computer blinked into a black screen, and the room was blanketed in a cloak of darkness.


End file.
